Rising to the Top
by Sakurelle
Summary: Cy wants to be the first ever female Dark Magician. On her quest to prove to the world that she can rise to the top, Cy uncovers a plot to destroy her Kingdom and ends up dragging her loved ones into the battle. DMGxDM
1. Time for School!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Ah…it feels nice to say that after three months, but I suppose it shall soon get tiring again!

**Happy Anniversary to me! I've been here for a year!**

I'm back! After summer break spent in a hot, humid, and miserable place, I can finally return to the safety of my computer chair. I hope all of you have had a better summer than me, and are ready to read this new story. For those of you who have read some of my other Yu-Gi-Oh! stories, namely CinderSerenity, you will recognize the characters in this fanfic. All of their personalities should be the same, except for Svrion who is a lot nicer. For those of you who haven't read my other stories… then… I hope my writing style is to your liking.

Now… a little note about this story. It's set in a land where there are two kingdoms, Light and Dark. The attributes the residents of each kingdom have don't necessarily have to do with the kingdom they are in. That means Dark monsters can be in the Light kingdom, Light monsters in the Dark kingdom. Of course, almost all the characters and places in here are Duel Monsters cards. If there are any cards that I use that you don't know, feel free to ask me what they are and their effects.

Okay… time to start the story! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Time for School!

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was just rising in the Light Kingdom, casting its rays into every little nook and cranny of the land. The yellow streams found their way into the bedroom of a certain blonde teenager sleeping so soundly that even the rays didn't disturb her as they crept over her delicate eyelids. But the alarm clock did.

It's sudden shrill ring nearly made the young girl jump to the ceiling. After a moment's panic, she rounded on the alarm clock with a snarl. However, her expression softened when she noted the calendar behind it.

"Oh my gosh! Today's the day! Today's the day! WHOO!" The sudden flight of the bright pink comforter signaled that the teenager had rushed to the bathroom.

It was no ordinary, dull Monday. It was the end of the holidays and the start of school for all the future Duel Monster warriors. When each resident of the Kingdom was sixteen, they would start their training to become the Duel Monster they were destined to be. For this certain girl, today was the special day.

Cyrrielle, or Cy as her friends called her, had awaited this day ever since she had seen her older siblings off to their own paths. Her older sister, Clarrisa, had now completed her training as a Magician of Faith, expert in healing. The next in line, Celton, was a year away from being an official Dark Magician. Cy was expected to be a Duel Monster that would be normally expected of a female. Perhaps a Mystical Elf – like her mother – a Magician of Faith, a Lady of Faith, a Spirit of the Harp, or a Forgiving Maiden. Anything but the occupation she chose…

A Dark Magician.

For days and months her parents pleaded with her to change her mind. Actually, her mother pleaded. Her dad yelled, stomped, and threatened. It was no surprise. It was okay for _Celton_ to be a Dark Magician since he was a _male_. There were no _female_ Dark Magicians in the land. Cy wondered, _why not?_

_Because_, Celton had retorted, _girls weren't strong enough!_

Again, Cy wondered, _why not?_

_Because_, Clarrisa had explained, _it didn't seem like a female occupation!_

Cy wondered, _why not?_

_Because_, Cy's mother had pleaded, _I want you to be like me, a Mystical Elf. It isn't proper of you to be a Dark Magician._

Cy wondered yet again, _Why not!_

_Because_, threatened her father, _I said so!_ Cy stopped wondering. She concluded her parents didn't want her to be different. So, Cy made up her mind. She _would_ be a female Dark Magician, the first in her kingdom, and show her family.

That was why this day was so important. It was so important that Cy managed to brush her teeth and shower in less than half an hour. Then, she wore her new Dark Magician costume.

To her horror, it didn't fit. It wasn't made for a female body. It was way too long with shoulders that were way too wide. The waist was also too large, but the chest area was too tight. The helmet was shaped in a way that Cy couldn't wear a ponytail, braid, bun, or upturn. Her long, blonde hair had to fall freely on both sides of her shoulders. The boots were also a size to big, with no heels! Cy was too scared to look in the mirror.

_I must look like an idiot! _It was too late to do anything now. At least the color was nice. Purple looked pretty good. Perhaps another day, she could ask her mother to alter it a little. But for now, there was no time.

It was time for breakfast. Cy hurried out of her room to the stairs, tripping five times. As she climbed down, her helmet dropped into her eyes and her feet slipped in the new boots. She slid down the majority of the stairs. When she arrived in the kitchen, Clarrisa and Celton were already eating their breakfast. Cy's mother was pouring juice into several cups and Cy's father was reading the paper.

Celton was the first to look up and spot Cy. For the first few seconds he stared at her like she had just walked in wearing a rubber dragon suit. Then, he made a few gagging sounds before launching into laughter. Clarrisa had been alerted at this time and she added her quiet chuckle. Cy's dad gave a stern, disapproving look.

"You are an embarrassment to the family!" he announced.

"What is it, Neo dearest?" asked Cy's mom as she turned with full glasses of juice. Seeing Cy, she dropped two of them. "Oh…my…RA!"

"It's a tiny bit big…" Cy started.

"_Understatement!_" coughed Celton, quickly returning to his cereal. Cy glared at him.

"Well…honey…" Cy's mother started carefully. "You know…are you sure you want to do this? Teenagers are harsh these days. I don't know what they would do to you if you went to your first day of the Dark Magic class in _that_!"

"Mom's saying you look like a freak," Clarrisa explained. "You should either wear a bag over your head or not go at all."

"Clarri's right… you _do_ look like a freak," Celton said.

"Cy, I deeply disapprove of what you are doing. You are disgracing our entire family. As the last child in this family to go to school, I believe you should follow the example others have set for you. Clarrisa has chosen a path that is very respectable for someone like her. Your mother is also in a good occupation. There are certain rules in society, Cy, and you have to follow them." After saying this, her father joined the other three in watching Cy to see her next move. She was leaning against the counter, arms folded and toe tapping.

"Now that you all are done with your _comments_," she hissed, "I can actually eat a decent breakfast. Society, rules, propriety… that's all everyone thinks about these days! Sometimes people have to break the bounds!" Cy angrily marched over to the table, yanked out a chair, and plopped into it. "I don't look that bad!" On cue, the helmet fell down to her nose. Cy's father was giving his special father-to-disobedient-daughter glare. Cy's mother picked this as the perfect time to intervene.

"Well, Neo, if Cy wants to do her own thing, then let her. Come; tell us about your day at work yesterday. You didn't return till midnight. What took so long?" Cy's father gave his youngest daughter one more stern look before turning to his wife.

"More spies, dear Mysti. Being a Magic Swordsman for the Light Kingdom these days is getting increasingly more difficult." Celton looked up from his cereal.

"Ooooooooo, are you telling us about your job? Keep going! I love this stuff! I wish I could have been a Magic Swordsman." Clarrisa reached over and picked up the newspaper from her dad. She glanced over the headlines.

"Hm… dad is right. There are many reports of war threats and spies… the king and queen have a lot on their hands."

"There might be a war?" Cy asked. Her father nodded gravely.

"We are afraid so… the Dark Kingdom is stirring. I believe a battle is approaching. I don't think there's much hope for any peace negotiations. The rulers of the other kingdom seem very intent on taking over our lands. For a long time the warriors have been idle. Their time has come." A silence fell over the table. Cy stirred her spoon in her cereal absent-mindedly. Finally, Clarrisa spoke up.

"If there is a war, all the warriors, magicians, and healers will be needed on the battlefield, right? Then… I would need to go too."

"You're right," Cy's father said. "And by that time, Celton will be graduating. I will have to go with him and your mother too. Cy will be the only one left. I believe she might have to go with the other students to safety. The war will tear apart many families if it does happen."

"Is there no possible way for it to be stopped?" queried Cy's mother. "For two centuries the animosity between the creatures of the Dark and Light kingdoms has been contained. It was because Jinzo and Cosmo Queen took the throne that this war has suddenly come up. It hasn't even been a year that they have been in power and the battle is brewing."

"That's right," Cy's father said. "They have started all this. However, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we have to be prepared at any cost. I don't think it can be stopped."

"Did you capture any spies lately?" Celton questioned.

"Yes. In fact, just yesterday we found a band of Dragon Master Knights in the forest." Clarrisa and her mother gasped.

"They are planning to unleash the Dragons?" Clarrisa cried. "How dreadful. Our kingdom will be left in ruins."

"There have been many bands of these men. We even found some Lord of Dragons among them. We have to take extra precautions lately. All roads between the Dark and Light kingdoms have been shut off. Communication between them is strictly forbidden. All people living near the border are being forced to move back. There are many patrols running through the forest. And, all our warriors are getting ready."

"It's a good thing we are doing all this," Cy said. "Or else, the Dark Warriors would have already been upon us."

"Yep." Cy's father leaned back and put his hand to his chin. "We are also monitoring the air using Winged Dragons and all of Harpie Ladies' Pet Dragons. However, underground still concerns me. The Dark has many creatures that can burrow in the ground. That's our one weakness."

"Do _we _have any spies? As in, did we send anybody to the Dark kingdom."

"Yes, Mysti, we have. Where else do we get all this information? We usually send Dark Magicians out in black robes. Plus, there are one or two people in the Dark kingdom who are actually against the king and queen. They help us sometimes." The table turned silent again. Cy turned to look at the clock.

"Well, it's getting late. I'll never make it to school on time if I don't start now."

"Uh, Cy," Clarrisa pointed out. "There's still an hour left."

"I know, but my dress is too long and the helmet keeps dropping. Trust me, it's a long process." Cy finished her breakfast. Then, picking up her Book of Secret Arts, she said her good-bye and went out the door. And tripped.

"Today's going to be _quite_ a challenge."


	2. And Class Begins!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! If I had a choice, however, I would actually own my school. That way I can choose to destroy it cause it is such a pain.

Chapter 2: And Class Begins!

With three floors and over a hundred classrooms, the Dark Magic Academy was easily the biggest building in the kingdom. And, probably, the only one littered with a million boys eagerly waiting to become Dark Magicians. And what was Cy eagerly waiting for? She was waiting for the humiliating laughter that was sure to commence when she set foot in her class. Or waiting for that humiliating moment when her helmet drops, the door shuts, and she walks right into it. Or the humiliating thought of even thinking about what the boys might do if they figured out what she was there for. Or the humiliating defeat she'd have to accept at the hands of her father after realizing Dark Magic was not the best thing for her. Or even, the humiliating thought that there were so many things humiliating that she couldn't even list them all.

At least the boys were good-looking. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the _most_ important thing on Cy's list of things to watch out for as she stood in the front entrance of the school. But, hey, she had to be blind not to notice that they were really cute. If only Cy looked any more attractive in that purple dress of hers…not possible.

_Okay, dear mental diary. It's the first day of school. WOW…as in Working Out Wonderfully. Not only did I manage to be on time, but also I didn't trip…more than fifty times. But hey, it's all good! At least I didn't trip a hundred times! Now, if I can only get over the fact that today is going to be so humiliating, it would be fine. Maybe I should just concentrate on the guys' faces and not their thoughts. That should keep me occupied…oh my gosh, that purple-haired guy is so hot! I hope he's in my class! But then again, how my luck is turning out, he's probably not even going to be on the same floor. In fact, he might be here on accident or something and never show up again. Why am I worrying about him? I should worry about myself. I have to plan how to do things today. Hope the bell doesn't ring for the next half an hour…_

The bell rang. Cy swore under her breath and picked up her Spell Book. She muttered something about someone jinxing her. Then, she hurried off to class.

………

Okay, so perhaps _hurried_ wasn't exactly what to describe her as she was tripping, falling, and bumping into every guy possible. It was better than saying she ran or walked to her classroom. The majority of the time she was on the floor or on the wall. But, she did _eventually_ make it. She stepped in just as the bell rang announcing the start of class. Luckily, the bell was actually a Time Wizard going insane, and so the boys didn't really notice that she had walked in. That's why the helmet had to drop in her eyes the second she walked into the aisle. Her sight vanished. And, she had to take that fatal step that made her trip and fall down to the floor with a _clank_ of her helmet. Everyone's eyes were immediately on her.

_Dear mental diary, okay…so maybe today isn't exactly WOW!_

Cy grinned sheepishly. She put a hand to her helmet to lift it up.

"Hey, dude, you all right?" asked the student right in front of her. "Hey, man, watch out in the future…a guy as short as you can really get killed in this school." Cy didn't know what to make of it, but she quickly left her helmet how it was and dropped her hands to hide her bright pink nail polish. Did this guy actually think she was a boy? He certainly acted like it. Maybe her dress was so baggy no one noticed. And of course, most of them had as long a hair as she did.

"I'm fine, really," Cy said, trying to make her voice sound as "manly" as possible. She couldn't see what the guy did, but she found her way to the back of the seat. Only then did she raise her helmet and sigh.

On cue, a swirling purple mist blew into the room and the Dark Sage materialized.

"Hello class," he announced. "Welcome to the Dark Magic Academy." The class – well, except for Cy cause she had no idea what to do – got up and bowed. Cy blinked a couple of times before standing and bowing. Her helmet once again dropped to her nose.

"Hello, teacher," the class chimed simultaneously.

"Hello teach**_er_**," Cy bit her tongue as she almost forgot to use her "manly" voice, saving herself in the last syllable.

"Now, you may all take a seat while I call role." A great muttering and chattering arose as everyone sat back down. Cy thought girls were the worst prattlers. The boys in her class seemed to do twice the talking. However, it was all about "_do you know there's this new girl academy for Magicians right across from here? The girls there are **really** hot, man!_" Cy couldn't really join in.

She was spared the necessity. Dark Sage's _ahem_ brought everyone's attention rather quickly.

"Like I said, I will call role…" he proceeded to announce everyone's name. Cy nervously waited for her name.

_Dear mental diary…oh **why** couldn't I have one of those names that are meant for both guys and girls? Like Terwen. That's a nice name. Both my cousins are Terwen, and one's a guy and the other is a girl. Even my grandmother's pet Kuriboh is a Terwen. Or even, Cy would be nice enough. WHY CYRRIELLE? _Cy grimaced as she listened to the roll call, trying to find the people that were called.

"…Juoro…"

"Here, Sir." Cy's eyes found the black-haired, freckled boy.

"…Svrion…"

"Here, Sir." Cy's eyes wandered to her right and rested on the speaker. His eyes also looked toward her. For a moment, their glances met in mid air. Then, slowly, the other boy smiled. Cy thought,

_What the hell?_

And there her eyes stayed. _Oh my gosh! Mental diary, my luck is changing! It's the purple-haired dude! Oh my gosh! I can't believe it!_

"…Cyrrielle…wait…Cyrrielle?" Cy's excitement vanished as her dreaded name finally echoed in her head. Oh, wait, it was just that the teacher had repeated it from confusion. He was probably thinking, _Why is there a girl's name on my roster?_

_"Uh…here…Sir?" At the sound of her voice, every single head turned_ toward her. How humiliating…but, that was already concluded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the purple-haired guy, Svrion, look at her and the others as if there was nothing wrong. Cy _wished_ there was nothing wrong.

"Did he say _Cyrrielle_?" asked a voice out of the blue from a blue-haired guy. That started the chatter. Cy felt her head spin as she heard all sorts of things blur into different sentences.

_That's so weird! There's a girl in our class?_

_She looks so retarded in that outfit._

_Girls are not strong enough to be in this class._

_Man, I'm going to enjoy watching her fail every magic lesson._

_You know, she actually is pretty cute._ (Cy actually liked that one).

_Cute? You can barely see her face from that over-sized helmet._

_She's short! Good Griffor! _

"Class! Settle down!" Even Dark Sage couldn't stop the climbing volume. Cy could no longer distinguish voices. She just sunk her head in her hands, clenched her eyes shut, and listened to the insults thrown around her.

_Who does she think she is?_

_A dumb blonde, that's what she is._

_Who gave her the stupid idea of joining this class?_

_Oh no! We have a girl in our class! We're **contaminated**!_

_That's funny. Haha, I can't stop laughing._

_Shut up guys._

_Look at her in that outfit, she looks hideous._

_I said shut up, didn't I? Leave her alone._

_Why? It's the first time a girl has joined this class. We can finally prove that guys are stronger and smarter than girls. Definitely smarter and stronger than **this** pathetic girl-_

_**I SAID SHUT UP! **_Cy's head stopped swimming. The class had quieted down. Cy opened her eyes and looked over at Svrion, who was standing with a glare on his face.

"What is your problem?" he asked angrily. "If she wants to be in our class, let her be. I don't get why you all make fun of her. She's a girl…so what?" The guy opposite to him stood up.

"Nice Svrion, isn't it? Always coming to the defense of any damsel in distress?" he asked. It was Juoro. Svrion slightly turned red.

"Why don't we all just ignore her like you ignore everyone else and get on with class."

"Well, don't act like the-,"

"_That's enough_!" Finally Dark Sage got through to the class. "Everyone, sit in your seats this instant! From now on, remember that I am your teacher and you are my students. Just because it is the first day doesn't mean you get a free ticket to talk. Now, Juoro, mind your manners to everyone, _especially_ Svrion. Cyrrielle is a student in this class, and she will be treated respectfully. Now, to begin." Cy sighed with relief and looked over at Svrion. He was still glaring. Her heart poured out to him.

_Dear mental diary…not only have I found that hottest guy, but definitely the cutest at heart. Look at him…he seems to act so brave and fierce. I **like** him…I think my luck is **actually** changing…_

"Okay, class," Dark Sage announced. "I'm going to do the normal teacher routine and say a little about myself. My name is really Morlen. I have been teaching Dark Magic for five years. Let's see, I have ten children, sixteen grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren, fourteen great-great-grandchildren, seven great-great-great-grandchildren, four great-great-great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great-great-great-grandchild."

_Dear mental diary…**he's old!** Dang…he must've lived a thousand years!_

"Hopefully, I'll live to even see great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren, but first I'll need a great-great-great-great-great-grandchild-in-law, and we're working on that." Cy raised her eyebrows in amazement and casually looked to Svrion to see if he had the same expression. Strangely, he had his fists clenched, eyes narrowed, and his head shook from side to side as he muttered something that sounded like _fat chance. We are **not** working on it, no, no, no!_

"Now class," Dark Sage closed his attendance book and stood in front of the class. Everyone turned to him with ears ready and eyes attentive. "Let's start. To begin, let me tell you about this class. As you know, this is Dark Magic, standard One. This is where you will begin the journey that will eventually gain you entrance into the Light Kingdom Army.

"The Light Kingdom is one of the two kingdoms that make up the Spirit Realm, the mirror to the Shadow Realm. It is here that we live and it is here that we die. Yes, die, every day by the hundreds. The other kingdom, Dark, is now waging war on us-,"

"It's already started?" Cy questioned suddenly. Dark Sage frowned at her.

"Raise your hand next time, Miss Cyrrielle. To answer your question, no, it hasn't. Not officially, anyway. But the Dark kingdom is getting a little carried away. Many have been missing from the border and the other kingdom is most likely the cause. They are asking for a battle, and we might have to give it to them." Dark Sage stopped as a hand went in the air. "Yes, Mister Juoro."

"Sir, we all know the Dark kingdom has many spies. Witty Phantoms were a problem the last time a war was almost brewing. This time, they are using Dragon Master Knights. Could this be a sign that they plan to unleash the Dragons?" Dark Sage thought for a moment.

"Yes…that could be a sign…we don't know. Since Jinzo and Cosmo Queen took the throne, we haven't been able to predict anything. But, the Queen is fond of surprises. And there have been a rise of Lord of Dragons and Dragon Master Knights."

"I don't really see the problem," Juoro said. "Why can't we send troops and destroy the entire Dark kingdom. Or at least, all the Dragon trainers. They are all evil anyway."

"That's not true," Svrion protested. Everyone turned to him in surprise. "I'm sure some of the Dragon Master Knights or Lord of Dragons are not obeying the king and queen."

"Very funny," Juoro said. "All of them are evil, and every single one deserves death."

"What if they are not working voluntarily? It's not their fault!"

"Yes it is!"

"Juoro, you like to pick on people because of general society ideas."

"And what's wrong with that. There're rules in life, and anyone that steps beyond those rules deserves death or an equal punishment." Juoro looked at Cy with a glare. "Especially women who don't know their place and Knights and Lords who serve the Dark."

"_Cyrrielle_ has every right to be in the class as you do." Cy slightly blushed. Her name sounded so much better if Svrion said it. "And not all Lord of Dragons and Dragon Master Knights are bad."

"You just don't-,"

"Okay, _that's enough, boys!_ Next time people argue, there will be consequences. This class is meant for cooperation. Let us switch topics. Ask me any question and we'll branch off from there." Dark Sage stood in front of the class patiently as everyone whispered amongst themselves. Finally, Juoro raised his hand with a smug face.

"Mister Juoro?" Juoro smiled and the others around him grinned.

"Say, Dark Sage sir…is your great-great-great-great-great-grandchild a girl, by any chance?" Dark Sage raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry, it's a boy. I know what you're hinting, but trust me, if it were a girl, you'd be the last person I'd accept as a boyfriend. But actually, I have a great-great-great-great-great-grandson. And so, I'm looking out for a girl and you, Juoro, are not a girl. However…" Dark Sage turned towards Cy. "You are. Would you be interested?"

"GRANDFATHER!" Svrion finally yelled, having enough of the way the conversation was heading. Everyone turned to him with surprise as they had done countless other times.

"_He's_ your great-great – you get the idea…" Juoro queried, shock written on his face.

"Sadly, yes…" Dark Sage admitted. Cy smiled.

_Dear mental diary…in response to Dark Sage's earlier request…**COUNT ME IN, TOTALLY!**_


	3. Secret Friends!

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is not owned by me, nor is it owned by anyone related to me so…yeah…

Chapter 3: Secret Friends!

The bell rung.

_Dear mental diary, can you believe it? The first day of school is already over! I actually survived school! Woo! My parents should be impressed, hopefully. I wonder what Clarrisa and Celton will think. Clarrisa will probably be like "you got lucky this time" and Celton will say, "you survived? Whoa, I didn't know the other students pitied you that much." I can see it now. But I can just say something like "Well, at least I'm challenging myself and doing something that the rest of the population isn't doing!" Then Clarrisa will say, "why are you proud of that?" And of course, Celton will finish with "weirdo!" My life is so predictable. _Cy smirked as she skipped down the stairs, ending by tripping, crashing to the ground, and banging her helmet on the pavement. And she says she _survived_ school?

_I did survive! I did survive! This is **after** school…it doesn't count! _Cy grumbled as she got to her feet. _Stupid armor sleeves…you can't roll them up!_ She picked up her fallen Spell Book and hurried – oh, sorry – walked and tripped down the sidewalk.

"I've got to get home fast," she said to herself. She looked up and spotted a bench with a couple of bushes. Sitting there was Svrion, talking to himself. At least, it appeared so. He occasionally looked back at the bushes, but he was clearly not holding a conversation with anyone visible. Cy raised her eyebrows.

_Maybe I should stay…and…make a new friend. _Cy thought of the flip side of the situation.

_Hello? When does a girl just go randomly talk to a guy unless she likes him? He will know!_

_Wait…but I do have to thank him…that's an excuse!_ Cy hurried – and tripped and stumbled – to Svrion.

He looked up as she drew closer. After all, it was impossible to not notice someone who was wearing a purple suit five times her size and tripping and falling while approaching him. He smiled as she came.

"Hey!" he said casually. Cy stopped then and stared at him like he was a ghost. Her internal systems froze.

_Oh oh…need to upload emergency system. Hurry, hot-guy protocol download!_

"Hey!" Cy said, flashing a big smile – not too big though –as she stood right in front of him. "The name's Svrion, right?"

"Yep. And you're Cyrrielle?"

"Yes, but call me Cy. Almost everyone does."

"Cy…nice, short, and pretty." Cy fought to conceal her blush. "Like you." Cy smiled, then frowned, and then smiled again. Then she blushed.

_Besides the short part…I like what he said._

"Thank you. And also, I'd like to say thanks for standing up for me." Cy sat down and put her hand on Svrion's elbow. "It really means a lot." Svrion smiled.

"I just believe that everyone can be good inside, that's all. Just because you're the same outside doesn't mean you're the same inside."

_Dear mental diary…I can come up with a few examples that agree with that. First, my really attractive older brother who is a total nutcase and loser sometimes, my really attractive older sister who acts like an over-popular idiot, and of course, dear Svrion, the really, really attractive guy who has the appearance of an over-popular hot, stuck-up guy, but is really nice inside._

"After all," Svrion continued. "Never judge a book by its cover any less than you would a person by their clothes."

_I sure hope no one judged me by **my **clothes._

"Well, thanks!" Cy smiled sweetly and Svrion returned it with a warm grin. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. It could have been considered romantic, until the bushes behind them started to shake and a voice in the air said,

"Is that a girl?"

"Yep, dude, and a reallycute one too!" Cy narrowed her eyebrows.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, turning toward the bushes.

"No," Svrion said rather quickly. "Funny, I haven't heard anything. Maybe someone was talking and you heard his conversation. Why are you looking at the bushes? They aren't interesting. Look at the…fountain. Isn't it pretty?" Cy narrowed her eyes.

"Is there something _wrong_ with the bushes?" she asked. Svrion shook his head.

"Wrong? With the bushes? No! Of course not! But…the fountain is better! Look at it…being all fountainiously fabulous in its fountainly fame!" Cy raised her eyebrows. Okay, so this guy was a little bit weird…

"Are you okay?"

"Sure I'm okay, I've never been better! Don't look at the bushes though…"

"Is there something in the bushes?"

"No. But don't look at them. They might get nervous." Cy scrunched her eyes.

"_Nervous? Bushes?_"

"You know what…the conversation is not that great. Why don't we talk about something else…like…the fountain?"

"How about we talk about you and your problem with the bushes."

"I don't have a problem with the bushes. It's just…they have a problem with me."

"The more you talk, the more twisted you sound. Just tell me what's wrong with them!" Cy glared at Svrion, who leaned back with a hesitant look.

_Hesitant look? Man, this guy only has **one** look and that is the look of hotness._

Cy softened her glare as Svrion softened his own expression.

"If you want to know about the bushes…" Svrion started carefully, "you have to promise to keep it a secret. Will you?" Cy nodded. Svrion turned to the bushes.

"It's over guys-,"

"THANK GOODNESS RA!" The young man who had just released the outburst popped his head out from the bushes, spitting out leaves. Next to him arrived a much calmer face that looked less annoyed than the other.

"Cy, this is Hufanse and Aundren. Hufanse and Aundren, this is Cy." Cy wiggled her fingers at them. Hufanse's jaw dropped open and a red blush rose up his face. The other smiled warmly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Cy," Aundren said calmly.

"You too!" Cy replied. Svrion tapped Hufanse's head to attract his attention from the prolonged jaw-dropped stare.

"Hey girl, what's up?" he finally managed to say. Cy cocked her head to the side.

"The usual…what are you doing in the bushes?" Aundren sighed and Hufanse smiled.

"Waiting to am_bush_ somebody!" he joked. Cy raised her eyebrows and looked at Svrion who slapped his forehead.

"On the contrary," Aundren explained truthfully, "we are hiding from others who might wish to ambush _us_ if we dare get out of our present positions. Since I am a Dragon Master Knight and my friend a Lord of Dragons, we are in constant danger. The war has seriously impacted our way of life. Rather, it has destroyed it." Cy nodded in interest, displaying a look of worry. Svrion took the responsibility of explaining furthur.

"You see, Cy. Hufanse and Aundren have been my friends for the past three years. Of course, back then, it was _okay_ for us to be together. But, lately, with all the war threats, the Light Kingdom has lost any trust it placed on Dragon warriors, leaving Hufanse and Aundren possible targets for eternal imprisonment.

"They are good though. They actually hate Jinzo and Cosmo Queen."

"I see," Cy said.

"Well," Aundren finished. "Now, we have come here to hide. You might think…why not hide in our own kingdom? Well, unfortunately, the Dark King and Queen have decided to recruit all those who stayed. We had little choice but to run."

"Then…why are you guys hiding in bushes?"

"It's a good source of food," Lord of Dragons joked again. The other three stared at him. "Okay…well…probably not…chill people, work with me here!" Cy stood up.

"Oh well, it looks it's time for me to go. I gotta get home, my mom will be worried. My dad…he probably won't give a care. He might even be upset that I'm alive, but it's going to be fine! So, see ya' later!" Cy waved and turned around.

"Remember, don't tell anyone about Hufanse and Aundren!" Svrion called as she hurried – ay,ay,ay – tripped and stumbled away.

"I won't! Promise!" Cy said, turning her head and waving one more time. Then, she turned back around and walked straight into a lamppost.

………

"I'm home!" Cy shouted as she entered her house. "I survived!" Cy walked in and shut the door behind her, making sure her helmet was straight and that she was not stepping on her uniform. Clarrisa was the first to appear on the scene, trying to paint her nails and braid her hair at the same time while holding up the picture of the style she was trying to imitate.

"You got lucky this time…" she said. Celton came running down the stairs two at a time.

"You survived?" he asked with a surprised tone, even though his face looked like it couldn't grin any wider. "Whoa, I didn't know the other students pitied you that much." Cy spread out her hands.

"Well…at least I'm challenging myself and doing something that the rest of the population isn't doing!" Clarrisa raised her eyebrows.

"Why are you proud of that?" Cy sighed.

"Weirdo!" Celton added. Now, didn't that just sound familiar? It's missing something…

_My life is so predictable._

Well, there it is. Cy's foreseen conversation. She shook her head in annoyance as she walked into the living room. Her mom was there, sitting on one of the couches. She was so absorbed in the pink and blue cloth she was stitching that she didn't even look up. Cy had to _ahem_ very loudly to get her attention. Her mom looked up and jumped from surprise, dropping her masterpiece.

"Oh!" she sighed with relief. "It's my daughter!" Wow, now didn't that make Cy feel good about herself?

"I'm home!" Cy said, stressing the second word as if it wasn't obvious.

"I'm stitching."

"I know that." Cy's mother glared icily at her teenager before going back to her work.

"Homework?" she queried bluntly, eyes focused on the needlework.

"Not much," Cy answered, forcing out every word as if they were arrows aimed for a target board. "We spent the whole time talking."

"I see," her mother responded absently. Cy frowned.

"Well, thanks for being so excited about my first day of school."

"You're welcome." Cy rolled her eyes. She knew pressing the conversation further wasn't going to get her anywhere. She turned to go up to her room. Not quick enough. Her mother asked another question.

"Met anybody?" Cy clenched her empty fist shut.

"Some people," she answered vaguely.

"Who?"

"Why?" Cy's mother put down her needle and placed both hands on her lap.

"Cyrrielle. Come over here. Let's stop being angry for a little bit and just talk, okay? A mother to daughter thing?" Cy sighed as she walked over and plopped on a seat in front of her mom.

"Fine, tell me." Cy said it as if she was about to get her head chopped off.

"You tell me. Who are the people you met?"

"Well, there's Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren." Now, a smart, wise Cy would have stopped right there. She would have explained they were all in her class keeping in mind a very special promise she had made earlier. But then again, this wasn't the "smart, wise Cy" currently sitting in that leather chair.

"Who are they?" That was the fatal question.

"Svrion's the guy that sits right next to me…"

"Cute?"

"Hot."

"Oh, I see."

"Well, Hufanse and Aundren are pretty cute to. I met them in the bushes today." Oh, the fatal response! Cy's mother raised her eyebrows.

"Uh…what?"

"I know, it sounds weird. But they were hiding!" Oh, the more fatal response. Cy's mother nodded deeply, her eyes cast to the side in deep thought. Anybody would be praying for Cy to stop now.

"From who? Are they Dark Magicians-to-be?"

"No, one's a Dragon Master Knight and the other is a Lord of Dragons." Oh, the most fatal sentence! Cy's mother raised her eyebrows until they disappeared completely under her hair. "They're hiding from the people who want to catch them. They are in a bush in front of the school." Cy, stop now!

"I…see…" was all her mother could choke out, her tongue stuck inside her left cheek and lips rounded as if she was thinking worriedly.

"Well," Cy said, standing up. "I'm going to go upstairs and rest a bit…'kay?" She got a nod in response and proceeded to – you know the drill – stumble, trip, and fall up the stairs. Once she got to the top, which took nearly ten minutes, she hurried – fell, tripped, etc. – to her room and proceeded to change.

_Dear mental diary. My brother and sister did exactly what I expected. My mother actually listened for once. I hope my dad isn't in a bad mood when he comes. Other than that, things are going smoothly to my knowledge. _Obviously, Cy's knowledge was pretty limited.


	4. Arrested!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 4: Arrested!

Cy did her homework that night as a normal teenager would do before she would face her doom within the next few days. Okay, Cy was not _normal_ by any means but that doesn't stop the nearing doom she was going to face. As Svrion would put it, being all doominously dangerous in its doomly distinction. _Yeah…whatever…_

But, she was doing her homework and when she was done, it was time for dinner. Her father had come home by that time. He watched her walk over to the table and glared at her as if she was an ant that dared to walk across his floor. She didn't pay much attention to his hateful glare. It would pass over in a few days_…yeah…right…whatever_.

Dinner was quiet. Celton, Clarrisa, and Cy were much to occupied with studying their parents to talk. Yes, studying their parents. They were doing the most peculiar sort of thing. First, Neo would take a sip of his soup and raise his eyebrows to admire the taste. Mysti would glance over at him with a hesitant stare. He would have noticed this and raise his eyes. She would quickly take a sip of her own soup and admire its taste while he stared at her with confusion. Then, she would look up and he would take a sip. This kept on going forever, and ever, and ever, until…

"Dear Slifer, Mysti! What is the matter?"

"Why nothing, my dear." Now you can clearly tell from the innocent teenager "I-don't-know-nothin'" voice that she was using that it was _something_ if _anything_. But, Neo nodded deeply before returning to his soup. Before long, the process started all over again. And not much after, their three kids had left the table to go to bed. When the whole second floor darkened, Mysti finally cleared her throat. Neo got up to put his bowl away. He stopped and turned.

"_Yes,_ Mysti." She got up and walked over to him, looking up carefully at the second story before proceeding in a whisper.

"I have something important to tell, but I don't want the kids to get worried about it. Especially Cy, since it was right under nose." Neo looked at her with a worried glance.

"Then we better talk in the backyard, come on." The two left the messy kitchen and headed out the back door into a yard lined with flowers. The moon was casting a narrow beam of light onto the center of the patio like a spotlight. Neo went and stood there.

"Now, tell me." Mysti looked back up at the second story window once before speaking.

"There are spies at the Dark Magic Academy." Neo narrowed his eyes. "Two of them using the names Aundren and Hufanse. One is a Dragon Master Knight and the other a Lord of Dragons. They have befriended Cy, and I think she was so taken by their 'kindness' that she never thought it through that theywere spies. They are hiding in one of the front bushes of the school." Neo bit his lip and looked at the moon.

"I think there is enough light to find them. They must be arrested immediately or else the students may be in danger. Even though Cy is a bit thick sometimes, it is a good thing. The last thing we needed is for her to have panicked and for them to hurt her in order to keep the secret. Okay, then I better go back to my team and start the search. I will be back before midnight. Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Good…tell Cy in the morning or whenever you get the chance. You know, she's actually not that bad. After all, I couldn't have known about them without her help."

"I'm going to reward her."

"Now, Mysti, don't get her over her own head…"

"Okay, she's going to _need_ my reward to stop looking like a fool in front of her classmates." Neo shrugged.

"Okay, then. I'll be home as soon as I can, dear. Bye." Neo gave his wife a quick kiss before hurrying to grab his things. Mysti sighed with relief knowing that her daughter would be safe and happy. Safe? Not for long. Happy? Now that's a long shot.

………

As Neo had predicted, the moon was big and bright enough for the whole schoolyard to be blanketed in its glow. Neo and his fellow Magic Swordsmen appeared in rows, swords ready. They were looking for "spies" and had to be extremely careful.

Meanwhile, Hufanse and Aundren were bored to death and were trying to fall asleep by playing a game in the bush.

"My…turn…" Hufanse moaned, yawning in between. "I spy something…that has twenty legs, ten sharp points, and is approaching us." Aundren was too sleepy to react.

"A Griffor?"

"No…"

"A… Mad Sword Beast?"

"Close…"

"I give up."

"A group of Magic Swordsmen…"

"Oh…wait…_what?_" Aundren started, and around that time Hufanse figured out the meaning of what he had said.

"Oh my Obelisk!" Even with his voice as low as a whisper, two of the Swordsmen heard him. They jerked their heads in the direction of the bush.

"They're there!" The swordsmen ran for the hiding place. Hufanse and Aundren had no choice but to get out and run.

"Release the Lizards!" Hufanse and Aundren stopped in their tracks, whipping around. The ten swordsmen quickly chanted something and two rattling boxes appeared. As soon as they opened them, the Swordsmen ran from the scene. It made sense why.

Out of each box came a giant purple monster, drooling on the grass. Each had a wide mouth with rows of sharp teeth, and the two antennae that came off of each of their heads sparked. The moon hid behind the clouds in fear.

"Electric Lizards," Aundren breathed. He and Hufanse stared at them in horror, backing up. It was too late. The beasts charged at them with utmost speed. Hufanse quickly ran, but both jumped on Aundren. He screamed in pain as electric shocks ran through his body. Knees buckling, he fell to the ground.

"Hufanse…run…" he moaned before losing conscious. Hufanse didn't run… at least not like he was supposed to. He stopped and ran forward, already muttering some enchantment. The Lizard nearest him exploded into sparks, momentarily blinding him. It was in this moment that the other pounced on him. He had no choice but to fall back. Pain flooded his legs and his mind. The second Lizard also burst into sparks. The Swordsmen returned.

"Good," Neo observed. "Throw them in the Labyrinth."

………

The alarm clock's shrill ring yet again awoke Cy in the morning. She sat up, silently celebrating that she would get to see Svrion again. Of course, Hufanse and Aundren were also people to look forward to, make no mistake. But Svrion…he was the highlight of the day.

_It's a happy day…doin' my…h-a-p-p-y da-a-a-a-ance! Oh yeah…uh-huh… I'm going to turn the world **upside down**…turn the world…around! La-la-la-la-la-la… I'm in my happy place, on the happy day, doin' my h-a-p-p-y da-a-a-a-ance! Oh…YEAH! _

Cy jumped out of bed and pretended to strum an electric guitar or something of that sort before skipping off to the shower. Before she could get there, she heard a loud yell from downstairs. It was her mom. Go figure. Cy had no choice but to rush downstairs, luckily in a night robe that actually fit her. While going down the stairs, she continued her song.

_I'm going to show the wo-o-o-o-o-o-orld what I'm ma-a-a-de of! I'm my happy self…turnin' the world…**upside down**…all around…everyday…is my heaven…and the world goes round…and the light shines down…on…my…happy place, on the happy day, doin' my h-a-p-p-y da-a-a-a-ance! _Cy jumped off the last step, grinning in eternal bliss that would come to a close shortly, but not quite yet. First her happiness would have to reach its maximum peak before the heartbreaking crash.

Cy hurried – and without tripping and falling – reached her mother. Mysti was grinning, holding a blob of pink and blue fabric.

"What is it, Mom?" Cy asked, looking at the pretty fabric.

"Well…I contacted the school yesterday-,"

"_What?_"

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just asked them about the whole dress code issue and all. Apparently there had never been a need for a girl's uniform – I don't wonder why – so they thought as long as it looked decent, it would be okay to make up a uniform." Mysti handed her daughter the cloth. "No peaking until you wear it."

"Okay… I wonder how it'll look…" Cy rushed upstairs to take her shower and figure out the surprise.

………

"Let's watch in amusement as our freak of a sister comes down in her freakishly long uniform."

"I know, it's so embarrassing, Celton. Think about it! My sister, _my younger sister_, cares nothing about fashion. How horrible!"

"It's catastrophic." If Cy had heard that exchange between her siblings, she would have probably glared at them and thrown something that was easily accessible at the table the two were sitting at for the moment, eating their cereal. But Cy didn't hear it. She was just coming down the stairs at that moment.

Celton was the first to look up and spot Cy, as he had done the day before. For the second time, the first few seconds he stared at her like she had just walked in wearing a rubber dragon suit. Then, he made a few gagging sounds before his jaw literally dropped to the floor. Clarrisa had been alerted at this time and she added her silent _oh my gosh_.

"So what do ya'll think?" Cy queried as she stepped off the final step gracefully. She placed her hands on her hips. Celton didn't have words, so Clarrisa responded.

"Where in the Realm did you get a dress like _that_? It's not fair, I want one!" Cy smiled. She knew the dress would make her sister jealous. It was mostly baby blue, with a star right in the center of the neck. The straps were blue with pink trim, sitting on the edge of her shoulders. The body of the outfit was the same blue, outlining her waist perfectly. Then, it flared out to her fingertips with a pink skirt, revealing her long legs underneath – would that possibly make her look any taller? Unfortunately, she was barefoot and it ruined the image.

But… it was mom to the rescue! Mysti came in with a pair of matching boots, pink star-patterned gloves, a matching helmet, and a golden necklace with a matching star pendant.

"Look what I happened to find!" she sang. Cy nearly crashed into her with her with a hug.

"_Thank you soooooooooooo much, Mother!_" Mysti couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her daughter eagerly put on her new accessories. After that, she paraded around the room like a model while her sister watched in envy. Seething envy. But Cy didn't really care. She finished her cereal double time, gathered her stuff, and set off to school. If she was sane, it was Svrion that pulled her and not the joy of learning.

_I wonder what he'll say when he sees me in this._

………

When Cy walked casually, and ever so gracefully, toward the building, everyone's eyes were immediately on her. It was mainly a guy's school, what do you expect? Cy glowed in the attention she got. Her eyes, though, searched only for Svrion. She found him. After all, he was the only one not staring at her like an idiot.

He seemed to be more occupied in searching through all the giant bushes located around the school. Cy huffed.

_It would be better if he actually **paid** **attention**_. With something on her face that represented a frown, she hurried – gracefully – toward him. He didn't look up until she had caught up with him at the largest bush and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around.

"Oh, hi…Cy…" his voice trailed off to unknown parts as he looked her up and down, eyes wide. Cy smiled. Svrion smiled at the end of his inspection.

"One of a kind…" he said. "But I must admit it kind of irritates my eye in its brightness. Plus, it makes you look very… I don't know. It seems like a larger version of toddler wear." Talk about a slap in the face. As Svrion went back to his searching, Cy's mouth dropped in shock. She clenched her fists by her side in anger.

"But…" Svrion continued, "It suits you very well. You do look pretty in that outfit, and it makes you seem taller, though I still tower over you. I guess overall it's not that bad." Cy unclenched her fists. At least the guy was honest.

"So, what are ya' doin'?" Cy asked casually, twirling a strand of blonde hair between her fingers. Svrion sighed and leaned back.

"Searching for Hufanse and Aundren. It's strange. I told them not to leave the bushes unless they had to go to the bathroom, and even then, not to come out after seven in the morning." Cy glanced at him quizzically.

"You're right. That is strange."

"What worries me are these footsteps. A lot of them are ours, but these few are big…they almost look like they belong to beasts."

"What do you think happened to them?"

"I don't know." Before they could think anymore on the subject, the bell rang. The students quickly entered the building to get to class.

_Dear mental diary, this is strange. How can Hufanse and Aundren disappear like that? Is it some mistake? And…what are those giant footsteps…? There's a quadrillion unanswerable questions…_

Cy, I count three.

………

Cy and Svrion walked to class together. Svrion hurried in first so he did not appear like he was with her. The last thing he needed was for his great-great-great – whatever grandfather to get any ideas. Cy followed close behind though, and she immediately was given the spotlight. Only three people didn't immediately look at her and drool. One was Svrion, since he had already seen her. Another was obviously Dark Sage Morlen cause he already had a wife that had been married to him for who knows how long. And the third was Juoro, who looked at her and shook his head.

"How dare she break the customs," he said to himself. But Cy was too drunk with the pleasure of being the most attractive one there – though, we must insist, that no one else should ever try to get as big of an inflated head as she is getting now – to notice. But, she eventually made it down the aisle after waving at everybody like she was some movie star.

_Mental diary…I understand why Clarrisa likes this so much now. It's even better that I don't have competition. There's no other girl to rob my chances here. However, it would be nice if Svrion **were caught in the spell too. **What's wrong with my charm? Why isn't it working on him? Okay, so maybe it isn't a real spell…but…great! Just great! The one guy I like almost doesn't care about me._

"Cyrrielle, please have a seat please," came Dark Sage's voice from the front of the room. Cy huffed and plopped in her seat. Svrion, to her side, was in a pensive mood. The hand on his chin, leaned forward posture, and narrowed eyebrows said it all. This made Cy scowl. Sure, she was a little concerned about Hufanse, Aundren, and the giant mysterious footprints. But there had to be a good explanation.

The tardy bell rung. Dark Sage cleared his throat as he quickly organized some papers on his desk. After taking attendance, he got up and stood in front of the class.

"Okay, Dark Magic students, today is the start of the real lesson. Yesterday, if anyone remembers, we just discussed about the history of our Realm, and for homework I asked you to write a short response to all we have talked about. I will be picking that up at the end of class. Anyway, today we are going to start with material related a little more closely to magic. I am going to introduce you to the different occupations of anyone wanting to study magic, and we will take notes on what they do. Tomorrow, we will learn the different categories of charms.

"Before we start however, there is a bit of business I would like to talk about." When Dark Sage stopped to take a short rest for his throat, everyone looked at each other and shrugged. "As I was saying, there is an important announcement. Because of some recent events, Magic Swordsmen will now patrol the school. I want all of you to be on your personal best behavior. Two of them will actually come in today to talk about something that happened yesterday. Oh look, here they are now." The class turned to the door as it opened. Two men walked in.

The first man was young and handsome, and he would have gotten a good reaction if he had walked into a class of girls. But here, only Cy's eyes widened. She grinned and looked over at Svrion, but he was so engrossed in his thinking that she turned back to the front of the room with a frown. The second man who walked in was indeed handsome, and looked about in the mid-forties. And Cy definitely reacted to him.

"**DAD!**" she cried, nearly falling out of her chair. Svrion actually started out of his musings. The whole class turned to look at her. Wow, was she getting popular around here.

"Cy, you're in this class?" Neo asked with confusion.

_Dear mental diary, this is horrible, this is a giant catastrophe. **What is my dad doing here?**_ Cy might as well have hissed it out to the class. It was apparent in her expression.

"No duh!" she yelled. Neo sighed. He was probably thinking about how absolutely wonderful this situation was, sarcastically speaking of course. So, now everyone would know the father that actually allowed his daughter to take a Dark Magic class was him, one of the respected Magical Swordsmen. This was perfect. Absolutely sarcastically perfect.

"Well…well…" Dark Sage said. "That's quite interesting. Anyway, Neo and Xane here are going to talk about what happened yesterday." Dark Sage turned toward the two men. Xane started talking first.

"Ah yes…yesterday… that was rather lucky on our part. We found spies at Dark Magic Academy." He didn't need to do much more to get anyone's attention. Everyone but Juoro and Svrion suddenly leaned forward in their seats with anticipating, excited faces, whispering amongst each other. Juoro simply raised one eyebrow and scowled. Svrion leaned back, crossing his fingers. He had some idea of what might have happened.

"There were two of them," Neo continued. "After we got info from…an anonymous source, we were able to track them down. They were in the school bushes. They tried to run, but we set the Electric Lizards on them." Svrion moaned softly. He had a lot more of an idea of what might have happened. Juoro's eyes were wide with shock.

"We have caught them and identified them as a Dragon Master Knight and Lord of Dragons. They have been thrown in the dungeon. As you can see, this Realm is now becoming a dangerous place and you all must take extreme caution. We will be protecting you as much as possible, but it is your job to be on the lookout." Everyone looked determined now, but Svrion and Juoro still looked horrified.

"Xane, what were the names of those two men anyway?" Dark Sage queried.

"I believe, Sage Morlen, that their names were…Hufanse…and Aundren." Juoro sighed with relief – that's awfully suspicious – and Svrion gasped. Cy was shocked as well.

"They're not enemies!" Svrion shouted with no inhibition – he could have used some though. Dark Sage was the first to raise his eyebrows, next came Xane and Neo, followed by the rest of the class. Cy only whipped around to face Svrion. He had stood up, both fists supporting him on the desk.

"Excuse me," Xane asked. "Let me get this straight…"

"They're not enemies…" Svrion protested yet again. "They're my friends." Is it just me, or did the fatal sentence syndrome pass from Cy to Svrion? "I'm helping them. They are refugees from the Dark Kingdom, and need our help. They came for our support, not to hurt us." Xane and Neo were not convinced.

"Don't be crazy. If they were in need of our protection, they would have surrendered. Instead, they started running," Xane countered.

"You scared them!" explained Svrion. "I would run too if I had two giant Electric Lizards on my heel."

"They are spies. And you've helped them. It was you that let them so close to the building, isn't it?"

"They needed to be close to me. I didn't want them to be captured on accident. And for the last time, they are not spies! They're friends."

"To you maybe, but not to us. In fact, for helping spies, you should be arrested!" Cy gasped, but Svrion kept on going.

"They aren't spies. They aren't even in disguise! You can't send them to their demise. Throwing them in the Labyrinth is treacherously unwise!"

"Rhyming doesn't make you any smarter than us!" Svrion started to say something, but Dark Sage interrupted.

"Xane, Neo. Please, my great – a million times grandson is not that type. There are always good among evil. What if those two aren't spies?"

"Until we know for sure, we cannot take chances. Svrion is under arrest. He must go also until we know the truth." It was Cy's turn.

"You can't _arrest_ him," she objected, stressing out the word as if it was incredulous to even remember that the word existed in this situation. Neo raised his eyebrows.

"It would behoove you to keep quiet, _my dear daughter_." The way he stressed those words, they didn't exist in this situation either. "Svrion. You on the other hand, will come with us." Perhaps Svrion felt like a martyr of some sort because he proudly marched out of the door. Neo looked back at Cy before Svrion could reach the hallway.

"Thanks Cy. Without you, we would have never have known about Hufanse and Aundren." Talk about _another_ slap in the face. Svrion turned and stared at her in horror. Cy slowly started to realize the meaning of those words. She opened her mouth to admit her horrible mistake, but Svrion's glare quickly shut her up. He got pushed out the door before his expression bore a hole through her heart. It was too late anyway. It was already shattered by her father's actions.

_What have I done? I've turned the world **upside down**!_


	5. Jailbreak! Part 1: Daring Duo

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 5: Jailbreak! Part 1: Daring Duo

The king and queen of the kingdom could have been walking out in the middle of the street with bathing suits on, and Cy wouldn't have noticed. The entire school building could have toppled on top of her, and she still wouldn't have noticed. The world could have stopped spinning and decided to play tag with the rest of the planets, and she still even wouldn't have noticed. A giant, four-headed brown monster with sharp fangs, foot-long talons, and spiked armor could have landed in front of her, and she probably still wouldn't have even noticed.

The only thing Cy probably could have noticed right now would have been Svrion. But he was somewhere in the Realm and Cy didn't know where that was. All she knew was that she had gotten him arrested.

Okay… so it was _partially_ his fault. He _could_ have kept his mouth shut, he _could_ have acted half as brave, he _could_ have hidden Aundren and Hufanse somewhere else… heck, he _could_ have done a lot of things. _Could a', would a', should a', _he _could_ have done it, he _would_ have done it, and he really _should_ have done it. But… life doesn't always turn out like it _should_. It _could_ it if only _would_. Okay, let's get on with this.

The point was, Cy had made a terrible, awful mistake. If only she _would_ have kept her mouth shut. But then, we would have to explore if she _could_ have and… never mind. But, she had blabbed that Hufanse and Aundren were hiding and somehow Svrion ended up arrested and it was all Cy's fault. And, something like that didn't happen to the normal teenager.

But, Cy wasn't normal. That would be an excuse she could use to stick up for herself. But, it would just turn into other things and she didn't want that. So what was this poor teenage-Dark-Magician-girl-in-training supposed to do? Spring Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren from jail of course. How hard can that be?

………

"Please, Celton?" Cy pleaded. "You must! Please!"

_Dear mental diary, wait? Did those words just come out of my lips? I'm **begging** my brother? What could have made me sink this low?_

Cy was indeed begging her brother, and it was for a task she was not sure he would accept unless she put it in the right way. It was a rather unusual request, and Celton was quite surprised. He backed up a step and raised his eyebrows.

"Let me get this straight, Cy. You want me to help you get Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren out of jail? First of all, I think this is crazy. Second, I think you are crazy. Third, I would be crazy if I agreed to this. Fourth, who are these people?"

"First, this might be crazy. Second, I am not crazy, just not normal. Third, you are crazy already, and fourth, these are my friends." Cy and Celton stared at each other like the worst enemies they were.

"_Best_ friends or _boy_ friends?"

"Shut up!"

"Hold on… if they got into jail… then they must have done something bad…"

"Hufanse and Aundren are from the Dark Kingdom, okay! They came here as refugees but were discovered and arrested! When Svrion wanted to protect them he ended up getting arrested too!"

"Whoa! Back up! Rewind! _Dark Kingdom?_ You want me to help release two Dark Warriors."

"I never said anything about releasing them. Just help me get into the place where they are. I feel like doing it myself."

"So you can impress them?"

"No idiot. So I can heal the damage I've done. _I'm _the one that got them in jail, and so I want to be the one to get them out." At this point, Cy could clearly tell Celton was not in for it. He had his hands on his hips with a disbelieving expression written on his face. Cy's hopes, some that had not started out high in the first place, sank heavily.

"Please, Celton. You have to understand! If this really wasn't this important, then I wouldn't be asking you."

"Why couldn't you ask our father?"

"He's the one who put them in jail."

"Oh!"

"But look, we're wasting time. Please, Celton. You have to do this." Celton shook his head.

"No, Cy. I am studying my last year of magic. If we get caught, I will be expelled. My dream will be shattered. Sorry, but I can't." Cy knew that would be the answer. She felt like crying. Without someone with great magical skill, she wouldn't be able to defend herself or do anything. And, Celton was probably the only person that would be able to understand about people in the Dark Kingdom being good.

_Dear mental diary, well…I tried. I could try doing it myself, but I will probably get myself killed or something! And of course, Celton doesn't want to get his perfect record smudged! He wants to graduate and impress everyone, especially Renalyn. Wait…impress…Renalyn…I have an idea. _

"Oh well. I expected something of this sort from you, Celton. It doesn't matter anyway. I mean, I can ask another person. Hey, you know your girlfriend Renalyn has an older brother right? What's his name? Renten, isn't it? I can just ask him. I'm sure the fact that I'm his younger sister's boyfriend's younger sister would persuade him. All I have to do is tell Renalyn that my own brother was incapable…"

"Now hold on a minute!" Okay, wait. One second. Most people would think that _Celton_ of all people would _definitely_ be able to tell that this was all just cooked up to get him to do what Cy wanted. Celton was smart enough to figure out that it was all crap that she was saying… right? Come on Celton. It's crap…it's crap…

"If it means that Renalyn will think I'm incapable, of course I won't back down! Never mind Cy! I'm willing to help. Tell me what to do." Okay, love is really blinding him for the moment. And making him deaf too. And stupid. Wait, he was already stupid. Never mind, take that back.

"You're willing to help?" Cy asked in her innocent voice, as if she would have _never_ expected it. Celton nodded. "Wow! Renalyn will be impressed! If she has time for that… she's a month away from being an official Lady of Faith and she has to take her exams."

"Yeah… I hate it that different schools have different years. All her holidays come at different times! Anyway, we have more important things to discuss. Where are Hufanse and Aundren being held?" Cy's eyes widened.

"I thought you would know!"

"Uh… did they give any clues?"

"They said dungeon!"

"That can mean anything!" Cy sighed. It appeared that not all her problems were solved. "I know that they throw Dark Warrior prisoners in the Labyrinth, the Shine Palace dungeon, or send them to the neutral Castle of Dark Illusions. But since both kingdoms have access to that, it's not the best place. But, I doubt by the way you said it that Hufanse and Aundren did anything major… so they could be in any of the three places." Cy sighed again.

"We can't check them all!" she cried. "They would figure us out long before that."

"Our first guess needs to be right! Did they say _anything_ besides dungeon?"

"No… jeez, I wish you knew."

"I did, a while ago. In our second year we had to study each of the major dungeons and memorize the offences that got you into them. That was the one test I got full marks."

"And now… you can't remember?"

"Yeah… the thing is, I made a rhyme to remember them. I remember that I made the rhyme, but I don't remember it exactly. I chose not to. My instructor told me that rhyming doesn't make me smart and that I should be able to know them in my heart and infuse them in my brain."

"Yeah, I heard that from somewhere. Oh, I think Xane said that when Svrion said something. Oh yeah, he said a stupid rhyme. Let's see… it was like this. '_They aren't spies. They aren't even in disguise! You can't send them to their demise. Throwing them in the Labyrinth is treacherously unwise_'!" Celton and Cy laughed for a second, before stopping with a short gasp. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"_The Labyrinth_!"

"How could I have been so stupid? _When wartime's ahead, the good save their head. The ones in trouble got to the Labyrinth instead_! I knew it! That's part of the rhyme!" Cy stared at her brother in confusion.

"O-kaaaaaay… well, let's not waste any time. We must go there immediately! We have to save Svrion!"

"How about the other two?"

"Of course we have to save them!" Cy rushed to get ready.

"But you thought of Svrion first because he's your boyfriend." Celton also proceeded to straighten his uniform.

"Hey! It's just a small crush…" Cy hurried to put on her helmet over her uniform that she had been too distressed to take off. And, she had started begging Celton the minute he had gotten home so he hadn't either.

"A _small_ crush?" Celton asked as he prepared himself too. "You can't fool me with that kind of crap."

"Speaking of crap…" Cy started as she backed up to the door. "Renalyn doesn't have an older brother. Renten is her pet Baby Dragon." Cy rushed out the door ready to rock n' roll. Celton stared after her for a few seconds before he grabbed his rental staff and proceeded to chase after her with it.

………

"So…what…are we supposed to do?" Celton asked, emerging into the clearing. Behind him, Cy struggled through the dense shrubbery. By the time she got out, her hair was all tangled and pulled and just plain messy. Because of her elbow-length gloves, her arms were mostly spared, but her cheeks sported random cuts from stray branches. She had a cut also on her thigh above her knee, and she was wincing in pain as she tried to stop the bleeding. Celton turned and sigh.

"I told you that thing was not a statue," he said. Cy glared at him.

"Yeah, _after_ I went ahead and touched it, making it reach out and bite me. Those things are dangerous."

"It's okay, the bite and the blood will disappear after a few minutes. It's just supposed to stall any trespassers with pain."

"Why would they put anything like that here?"

"Because no one is supposed to be trespassing!" Celton turned back to the clearing. By the time they had reached the place, it was nightfall. The moon was bright behind the clouds, glowing furiously as if to warn them about the upcoming challenges. It illuminated the cave entrance in front of them.

"I knew this was the place!" Celton said.

"If it was so secret," Cy queried. "Then why would they tell you straight out in class."

"Because…besides being a dungeon, it's also an escape path of all people and so everyone will be told. But it's weird though… I've been here once and I doubt you can escape from anything in there. You'll get yourself lost." Celton shrugged as he neared the entrance. As he did, the doors slid open with a hiss.

"This is it!" Cy informed. "After this, there's no turning back!"

"Right. Once we step in, the doors will seal shut. This is only an entrance. The exit is somewhere else. Are you sure you want to do this?" Cy faced Celton. Her eyes narrowed and the moonbeams reflected off her determination.

"We are Svrion's only hope!"

"Aundren and Hufanse…?"

"Oh, right, right! Them too! But anyway, we have to rescue them. It's okay, Celton! I'm ready to face anything!" Celton nodded and the two of them faced the entrance. The looming blackness did not look inviting. Simultaneously, they both took a breath. Then, they entered the darkness together.

After the first step inside, the doors slammed shut, sealing in the shadows. Small torches automatically lit. To either side of them stretched the endless bounty of passages that marked the Labyrinth. Starting from the dead end they were standing, the way stretched out over millions of different squares and possible routes.

"Okay," Celton said, breaking the silence. He quickly surveyed the area. The walls rose to either side of him, stretching up at least twice his height before vanishing into the endless gloom of the ceiling-less sky. The only path was straight in front, splitting into three paths within a hundred feet.

"This is really important, Cy! Whatever happens, stay in front of me. But, always on the same square! Never get off the square I'm on for more than a split second. If you do, we could both be separated-,"

"How?"

"I'll tell you later. Just remember. The Labyrinth swallows its prisoners alive. It will do anything to put you in danger, especially by alienating you from others. It has a mind of its own. We must be on guard." Cy nodded, though she did not like the _swallows its prisoners alive_ part. She wasn't necessarily worried about herself. It was Svrion she was more concerned with.

Cy and Celton started to walk forward. As promised, Cy stayed almost right in front of her brother. They always crossed the borders of squares at the same time. And at first, everything was going perfectly well.

At first. The key words there. It must have been an hour at least before Cy and Celton got suspicious. They were deep inside the maze already, somewhere on the random path. Cy led Celton wherever she wanted – an assortment of dead-ends unfortunately, oh Cy! – but the two had realized that besides that, no challenges had accosted them. It might have seemed, initially, a great relief. But soon it grew to worry. They were expecting something…

"Is like, the Labyrinth dumb?" Cy asked. "This is getting really boring. Nothing's happened since the doors to the Labyrinth shut!"

"True," Celton agreed. "I would hope that it's because the Labyrinth wanted to be nice to us. Sometimes it can favor certain people—hey!" Celton bumped into Cy as she stopped walking. Slowly, she turned and stared into the path behind her. Celton, worried, copied her.

"I feel cold…" she said. "Something is approaching." Celton put on a brave face and slowly raised his staff. The two stood in the silence that surrounded them, glancing around from time to time into each of the seven pathways that branched off from where they stood. Celton warmed up his staff by making it emit purple sparks.

"See anything?" he whispered. Cy shook her head. The two became more and more worried with each passing second.

Suddenly, a breeze blew into their area, their hair dancing as it passed them. Cy and Celton looked at each other. The Labyrinth wasn't supposed to be windy. Cy turned back to the path she had looked at earlier. Suddenly, it started to go in and out of focus, becoming bigger and smaller. Cy started to back up and Celton noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Cy couldn't answer, mesmerized as she was by the passageway. She raised a shaky finger to point to it just as a shadow appeared around the bend of its wall. It didn't look like a person's shadow. It was tall, with long arms that blended into talons. It had long, arched legs under its skinny body and a head with a nose that was way too long.

"What is that?" Cy cried. The creature appeared in view, snarling at the two of them. The two of them shivered with the coldness that plagued them.

"A Shadow Ghoul…" Celton whispered. "The King of the Labyrinth. I'd rather not fight this… _RUN!_" The Shadow Ghoul caught onto their plan and lunged toward them. With a scream, Cy started running with Celton in tow. The two sprinted down random paths with the Ghoul easily catching up. However, Celton quickly pulled Cy into an unnoticed area and the Ghoul passed them.

Cy fell to the floor as soon as she got into the secret place. It seemed to be a square room, twenty-five squares in area, hardly noticeable from the outside. Celton bent to catch his breath.

"Phew!" he gasped. "See what I mean. This Labyrinth is treacherous. We shouldn't have gotten in here. This is a favorite spot of the Tanks, the Labyrinth's army. If they get in here, we'll be drilled through with holes."

"Oh! Celton, let's get out of here!"

"We can't! It's too late-," Celton stopped and squinted at the walls. Cy noticed them too. They had started to ripple like a pond newly disturbed. Waves of energy seemed to radiate from them.

"What the-?"

"It's the Wall Shadow, Shadow Ghoul's morphed form. We're doomed! Nothing can escape this great beast!"


	6. Jailbreak! Part 2: Labyrinth Soul

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 6: Jailbreak! Part 2: Labyrinth Soul

Celton and Cy stood back-to-back in the square area, watching in horror as the walls rippled around them, waves of power running wild. Celton had his staff up and ready, eyes searching, knowing that the Wall Shadow was famous for surprise attacks. The last thing he needed was for it to kill them.

"We should never have done this!" Celton growled to Cy. "If we don't get out of this alive, I'll kill you!"

"Okay… I doubt I can accommodate your request, dear Celton," Cy replied. "First, the Wall Shadow wants to kill me, then Svrion, and then our father… I am afraid you will have to wait…"

"Okay," Celton retorted sarcastically. "I can wait. And in the meanwhile, I'll busy myself by getting killed by our mother. How does that sound?" Celton glared at Cy and she calmly glanced back.

"Really, Celton. We're about to get eaten alive here by this beast that is going to appear out of nowhere and all you can think about is getting mad at-," Cy cut off her words as she screamed. The Wall Shadow suddenly jumped out the wall and tried to slam into them. Luckily, they tumbled to the floor out of the way.

"_DARK MAGIC ATTACK_!" A beam of purple light swept through the floor and hit Wall Shadow, sending him tumbling back against the floor. Celton grabbed Cy's hand and made a run for it.

"Why are we running?" Cy asked, letting herself be pulled by her older brother. He didn't reply. "Why don't you stay and fight?" Celton only narrowed his eyes as he made five right turns in a row, finally stopping to catch his breath in a wider passageway. Cy slumped to the floor and put her head down. Celton tried to concentrate the best he could, thinking of a strategy of attacks he could use against Wall Shadow.

"Hey!" Cy cried. "My cut is gone!" Celton turned toward her, and his concentration vanished.

"I told you it would," he responded, though he didn't know whether he should be happy or sad. He shook his head, muttering about losing his "mental calculations" when the Wall Shadow made another surprise appearance.

With a shriek, it lunged out and smashed into Celton, knocking him to the other wall, his staff flying the other direction. Cy screamed and fell back as the damaged wall spewed dust and particles of cement. Coughing, she got to her feet and looked around for a weapon.

The Wall Shadow climbed up on a very stunned Celton, licking the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth. Slowly, like a vampire, it made its way down the side of his neck.

"DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" The Shadow snapped around to face Cy as she picked up the staff and pointed it in his direction. A small spark appeared at the very edge of the weapon, but other than that, it was useless.

"I said Dark Magic Attack!" she cried, once again thrusting out the staff. Nothing happened. Cy shook the staff violently.

"Dark Magic Attack! Dark Magic Attack! Dark Magic Attack!" Wall Shadow, amused by the powerless teenager, changed its target and lunged toward her.

"Dark Magic Attack! Dark Magic Attack! Uh-oh… to hell with this! _HYA!_" When the Wall Shadow was almost upon her, she kicked and plunged her staff into him. The Wall Shadow fell back, bleeding black from the gaping hole in its stomach. Cy rushed to Celton's side, helping him to get up.

"Are you okay?" she asked, letting him lean on her for support. He smiled weakly as he once again took the staff into his hand.

"Good job…" he said. "You killed it…" As he spoke those words, the Wall Shadow got back up on its feet. The hole in its body slowly filled up. At the same time, a portion of the surrounding wall vanished. Cy noticed the size of the gaping hole in the wall was the same as it had been on Shadow.

"Oh no!" Celton groaned. "I forgot. The Wall Shadow is linked to the Labyrinth. It is now the Soul of the Labyrinth. It can use the Labyrinth's mazes to rebuild its strength." The Wall Shadow once again jumped toward them. Yelling, the two ducked away into another passageway.

"_Dark Magic Barrier!_" A semi-wall appeared, separating them from the beast. "This will confuse it for a while, but not for long. I have to get back my energy before that." Celton slumped back against the wall, his staff clanging to the floor. Cy watched with pity. This was her fault. Now, Celton was injured and there was a Wall Shadow loose in the maze. And… what if it found Svrion? Or Hufanse and Aundren? Cy felt like crying.

"Celton?" she queried softly, kneeling down in front of her brother. "How come you can use the magic and I can't?" Celton chuckled as he sat up a little. He took the staff and fingered it.

"Cy… you believe that everything is so simple. If you really must know, there is no such attack called Dark Magic Attack. It is really something we are supposed to say to… I don't know… encourage ourselves? Really, the real spell we chant in our head at the same time. It takes a lot of concentration to say both, and that is what makes the attacks so powerful. I have learned over a thousand different chants for a thousand different things. I say Dark Magic Attack for over nine hundred of them. It just helps me connect with my staff." Cy slumped.

"Oh, man! I thought I learned one!"

"I know of only four to five spells that we say out loud, and that's because it requires too much energy for great concentration. Stuff like Dark Magic Barrier, Magical Hats, Mystic Box, and Mirror Force. Oh, and Ragnarök too." Cy sighed.

"No wonder it takes such a long time to be a Dark Magician," she said. "Learning all those spells… you must have worked really hard!"

"Have I finally earned your respect then, besides being the worst brother in the world to you?" Cy smiled.

"Oh Celton…" she trailed off as the wall next to her liquefied. The semi-wall vanished and in its place stood the Wall Shadow. Celton and Cy quickly got to their feet. The creature snarled, threatening them with its talons.

"Okay," Celton said. "Here's the plan. Wall Shadow is a _part_ of the Labyrinth now, as its soul has become one with the walls. In order to ultimately defeat it, we have to turn one into two."

"As in… diffusing them?"

"Exactly! You've done your homework!"

"It wasn't on our homework. But, speaking of homework, I won't be able to finish it and I'm going to be in major trouble…"

"No, Cy, seriously. How are we going to do this?" The Wall Shadow grew impatient. With another long shriek, it lunged forward yet again. Prepared, Cy and Celton jumped out of the way. The Shadow screeched to a halt behind them, turned around, and lunged back. With a cry, Cy ducked down as the Shadow passed over her and kicked it. Wall Shadow went flying through the air and landed hard on the ground.

"Good job!" The Wall Shadow growled as it got up, black blood flying from its mouth. It seemed shocked by the blow, but nothing major that couldn't be healed quickly. The Wall Shadow again lunged for Celton.

"_Dark Magic Attack!_" A large purple burst stream of power hit Wall Shadow. He tumbled back and burst into pieces. Celton grinned while leaning forward, out of breath, tapping his staff on his foot.

"Not too shabby…" he remarked.

"Oh yeah!" Cy cried, trying to fall back against the wall. _Trying to…_ Cy fell right through. The wall disappeared. In its place ran a series of yellow sparks. They came together and formed a ball of fire. The pieces of the Wall Shadow were drawn into the fiery sphere. As Cy and Celton watched in horror, the great beast regenerated. Out of the flaming ball it leaped, talons sharp and ready to kill. Cy took a step back as the green monster headed toward them once again.

"We'll never win as long as the creature keeps on regenerating. We're doomed. That attack, _Auroraflash_, took almost all my strength. I can't do it much more." Celton fell to his knees, exhausted. The Wall Shadow saw his chance and rushed forward. Cy grabbed the staff and thrust it out, knocking the wind out of the fiend. It fell back. Celton got back on his feet.

"_Dark Magic…Attack!_" Celton grabbed his staff and threw it forward. It exploded into purple sparks. The Wall Shadow was hit and it melted, screaming in pain. The staff fell to the floor. Cy looked concerned as her brother once again sat on the floor, grasping his head.

_Mental diary, I can't believe it. We're being attacked by a Wall Shadow here. Celton is trying his best to attack, but his energy is almost gone. No wonder. Thinking one thing and saying another is hard, even for someone as gifted with multitasking as me. Maybe Clarrisa could do it. She can brush her hair, do her nails, and eat breakfast at the same time._

As before, the Labyrinth Wall disappeared and turned into a row of golden sparks, forming a giant flame ball. _What can I do? This time, when it regenerates, we won't be able to defeat it. The wall will keep feeding its Soul to the beast… wait! I have an idea! That's it! _Cy knew what to do. _I hope I can concentrate… wait, I know I can! Celton, Svrion, my friends and family depend on it!_

Celton sighed as the fiery ball glowed brighter, ready to resurrect Wall Shadow. He had no energy to do anything about it. However, he didn't need it. Cy had already cooked up a plan. She ran over to the staff and picked it up.

_Destroy the soul of the Wall. Destroy the connection of the souls…Auroraflash!_

"_DARK MAGIC ATTACK!_" Power of unimaginable strength surged through the staff. In a blinding moment, it flooded out through the maze. The fiery ball of light didn't stand a chance. It was destroyed and the remains of the Wall Shadow vanished. Cy grinned, though she felt the stings of tiredness pulling on her. Tapping the staff on the foot, she turned back to her brother.

"Not too shabby…" she said, winking. Celton grinned.

"Good job! You've learned your first spell. Though… you started off three levels more than you should, you can protect yourself in utmost danger. Don't use it too much, though. After about two of those attacks, you won't have much energy left. Besides, that was probably a lucky little situation anyway. Took me three tries at first to even make an attack one-sixth the power I am capable of now. Yours was just a little rush of adrenaline, I bet." Cy nodded. _Okay, we gotten over that. What's next, dear Labyrinth?_ It had an answer ready.

Interrupting their happiness came a sudden shudder from the ground. Slowly, it got bigger and bigger till the shaking was unmistakable. Cy could still stand, but she was horrified as the tremor grew stronger. Celton scrunched his eyes and tried to remember what this could mean. Suddenly, he had a brain flash.

"CY! HURRY! TO MY SQUARE!"

"Why?" she cried, or more so, screamed as the earthquake shaking brought with it a great rumbling. But, she still ran for Celton's square. Unexpectedly, the wall next to her dropped into the ground. Cy stopped with a gasp, staring at the disappearing wall. Celton tried to stand, but the shaking was too strong. Cy turned back but lost her balance. She fell back a square. Then, the walls changed more rapidly. Cy cried out in horror as a wall appeared in front of her, shutting her off from her brother. A wall appeared behind her too. The walls to her side had dropped off.

"CY!" The rumbling and the shuddering stopped. Cy rushed to the wall and pounded against it.

"Celton!" she yelled. "CELTON!" She felt the wall for any way she could climb over.

"CY!" She heard Celton on the other side. Frustrated, she hit the wall repeatedly. _This can't be happening. It can't! This isn't real!_

"Calm down! It's okay!" Cy fell against the wall, out of ideas to get through. "Cy, listen to me! You must find the others! It's time for us to split, but it's okay! Whatever happens, run! Okay, that is your best weapon! Run! If you are in grave danger, use the spell. But, know that it won't work against Labyrinth Tanks! It's important, don't panic!" Cy felt like crying yet again. This was terrible.

"Oh, Celton! I need you! What will I do without you?"

"Don't be a crybaby. Your boyfriend will protect you!" For once, Cy didn't retort or complain. She smiled.

"Celton, I'm powerless… I don't know anything about the Labyrinth. What am I supposed to do? I won't even know the exit if I see it." She heard her brother sigh on the other side.

"This is going to sound really cheesy… but follow your heart. Don't be afraid. The Labyrinth preys on the weak. Okay, here put your hand on the wall." Cy obeyed, feeling around. The cement was smooth and neat. "Do you feel anything?" Cy shook her head, forgetting her brother couldn't see her.

"No… wait…something warm…"

"That's my hand. See, the wall is half a foot thick and you can still feel it. We'll always be connected, Cy." She smiled.

"You're cool, you know that?"

"Can you tell that to Renalyn?"

"Sure, any time." With those words, Cy backed up from the wall. She heard Celton muffle a good bye, but Cy didn't say anything else. Putting on a false mask of bravery, she headed to her right down the path.

_Dear mental diary… whoa, this is creepy. I'm all alone in this Labyrinth and have no clue where I am going. We defeated the Wall Shadow, what's next? What's this Labyrinth Tank Celton's been talking about? Is it dangerous? _Cy stopped wondering to ease her fear away. After all, the thoughts might end up giving her nightmares.

For several minutes, she walked randomly down any path she chose, trying not to imagine what might lurk around the corner every time she turned. For a while, everything seemed peaceful. It was then that she heard it.

The sound seemed almost distant at first. She would have ignored it if it hadn't drawn closer. Cy first wondered what it was. It sounded like the earthquake Magical Labyrinth she had witnessed earlier. However, the surface wasn't shaking. The walls didn't change. But the sound loomed closer. Cy raised an eyebrow.

_Now what have we on our hands?_ Cy sighed. This was getting tiring, all right. And anybody who walked around a Labyrinth for several hours without accomplishing anything would know that. Cy brought out her staff in front of her. Cautiously, she stepped up to the corner and looked around. Then she screamed.

She really shouldn't have. Later she might reflect on this and figure out she would have been okay if she hadn't. After all, it was her scream that made the large, blue machine turn toward her.

It had red drills too. Cy didn't pay attention to that. She was running in the other direction as fast as she could.

_…The Labyrinth's army…oh damn!_ Cy yelled as a beam of red light flew over her head, knocking her to the floor. She quickly got up and ran into another path… and another Tank.

As she hit it from behind, it turned to face her. Another scream and she ran away again, two Tanks at her heels. Each rained on her a thousand blasts from the drills that she avoided by ducking, and rolling, and acting like she was caught on fire. Hey, it worked. Yelling, shouting, and gasping for breath, finally Cy was hit.

Pain traveled up her spine like a car running a race. She screamed and fell to the floor, tumbling over thrice before hitting the wall. The Labyrinth Tanks stopped in front of her. The way they stood there suggested they were about to fry her with a million volts of Tank laser power. Not a good sign…

_The Labyrinth swallows its prisoners alive! Oh shit, I'm going to be fried and then devoured. Somebody help! I'm going to be dinner here!_


	7. Jailbreak! Part 3: Magical Hats

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 7: Jailbreak! Part 3: Magical Hats

Celton walked cautiously through the maze, looking around every corner. He no longer had his staff with him, and it seemed to have stripped his strength away. Besides that, the sucking of power he had gotten from the fight with the Wall Shadow didn't help.

_So let's see here, I have to help find Hufanse, Aundren, and Svrion. I hope they all aren't split. Or, the Labyrinth Tanks haven't gotten to them. They sound like troublemakers to me. Especially the Dark Warriors. I don't trust them. I don't understand how Cy can._

Celton sighed as he turned left, walking right into a dead end. Celton shook his head. This was starting to get frustrating and rather pointless.

Suddenly he heard voices. No, not in his head. Even though, someone in his position was likely to suffer from such a case and eventually go mental. However, these voices were indeed real to the world. They seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the wall.

Of course, Celton didn't need to _worry_. First of all, it couldn't be a Tank or a Ghoul cause they didn't talk. Second, the language was his own and so it had to be someone familiar. And third, even if it was a dangerous person, they couldn't _possibly_ come through the wall.

_Right?_

Right… that's why two young adults literally landed on Celton's feet straight through the wall. Celton was thinking: What the hell?

"I told you! Fake walls _do_ exist." Now, wasn't that obvious?

"Well, gee, sorry if I accidentally decided that the rules of nature apply here."

"Rules of nature? What in the world are you talking about? What rules of nature?"

"You know, the rule that says you can't pass through solid objects?"

"Does the wall look solid to you?"

"It _looks_ solid enough!"

"You guys, what are you doing?" At that moment, the two young men stopped quarreling and looked up at the almost Dark Magician above them. They gasped. Celton raised his eyebrows. Before he could say another word, though, they jumped to the ground and aimed dark energy strings at him.

"Whoa! Whoa! What did I do?"

"Don't be a kidder, Juoro. We know it's you. Nice disguise, though. I never thought you would assume that of a Dark Magician, a kind that you despise with all your heart. If you had one!" You guys are probably all baffled why Juoro was dragged in here, and so was Celton cause he had never heard of such a name in his life!

"Excuse me, but I am here to rescue you. If you two are Aundren and Hufanse like I presume. After all, the other prisoners have died already. Anyway, my name is Celton, not Juoro, and I want to help you."

"Nice try! Okay then, if 'Celton' is how you want to be called then so be it. But you won't trick us!"

"Hufanse! Aundren! I'm trying to help you. I'm on _your_ side. Cy is on your side. We are-,"

"Whoa! Did you say…C…C…Cy?"

"Okay, now Hufanse, get a…"

"Shut up, Aundren! He said Cy! He said Cy! Oh my gosh! She's HERE?"

"Apparently you know her…"

"Where? Where is she? Is she okay? How is she doing?"

"Okay. Well, Celton, Juoro. Whoever you are, you must havefigured out by now he has a _huge_ crush on her." Celton sweat-dropped.

"Like that wasn't obvious." We totally agree. Anyway, the three managed to convince each other – don't ask why – with that mere mention of Cy that they were each sincere in what they were saying. The truth discovered, and hopefully accepted, the three got together to hatch a plan.

"Okay, here's the deal…" Celton started. "There are five of us in this dungeon, plus an assortment of creatures that want to kill us. Since the three of us are here, obviously Cy and Svrion are somewhere else. Now, we have to find them. If they are together, it won't be quite as hard as if they are alone."

"Exactly," Hufanse agreed. "If they are separate, it will take longer to find one and then the other."

"But, on the contrary, if they are separate, we have more of a chance of finding one because we have two possible locations, not just one, and therefore more of the labyrinth is our target. The hit percentage is doubled."

"Shut up, Aundren. You're confusing me."

"The point is, we must stay together to avoid further division and see if anything besides aimless roaming will get us anywhere." Aundren looked over at Hufanse with a hesitant expression.

"I _did_ understand that, thank you very much. But the question still remains, how are we going to do that?"

………

Cy covered her face as the stream of bolts from the Tanks rushed toward her. They didn't make it. All of a sudden, a wall rose up in front of her, the wall behind her vanished, and all around the labyrinth shifted. Cy breathed a sigh of relief.

"I hope you're happy I did that! If I hadn't found out the rare spots of weakness in this place, you would have been fried." Cy's heart lurched as she slowly turned to look at the speaker behind her. A tall teenager with purple hair and dark eyes met her. Cy was rendered speechless, except for a name she managed to utter.

"S…Sv…Sv…Svri…Svrion?" A pin drop could have been heard in the silence that enveloped them. Cy glanced over at her classmate with a relieved stare while he coolly glared upon her. Perhaps Cy missed that as she raced over and almost jumped into his arms.

"You're OKAY!" she cried, nearly bursting into tears. But Svrion just firmly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from him.

"How _could_ you? I never thought you _would_! Cy, how _dare_ you tell?" Cy was shocked for a few seconds before she also gripped Svrion's forearms.

"Oh my gosh! Svrion! Please, try to understand! It's all a mistake! I didn't do it!"

"Don't try to fool me! _You betrayed me and your promise_!"

"Honest I didn't…I…I…"

"**You promised, and you dare give away their location. I _trusted_ you!**" Now if the words he wasn't saying weren't hurting enough, Svrion raised his voice slowly till it nearly became a shout. Cy's protests also grew in volume till they both yelled at each other as if they were oceans apart.

"**I wasn't trying to hurt them!**"

"**You did a bloody good job of it!**"

"**Now you watch it! It's not as if no one has betrayed you ever. And for the last time I didn't tell.**"

"**Don't fool me! You are the only one besides me that knew! If they got it from the 'anonymous' source, then it HAD to have been you!**"

"**Okay, so maybe I accidentally…**"

"**I knew it! You did tip it off to those bastards of Magic Swordsmen**-," Cy couldn't take it anymore. She slapped Svrion's cheek as hard as she could. Surprised, he grabbed his throbbing face and stared in her direction in disbelief as she glared back.

"**Don't you _DARE_ insult my _FATHER_!**" Svrion slowly shook his head. Cy gave a satisfied smirk. The guy was now shaking in his boots… great, she felt powerful!

Then perhaps in the next sentence I shouldn't mention that he was only staring in her _general_ direction and therefore was actually not looking at her. Something else caught his attention and it was not good. _That's_ what was making him shake.

"Um…" Svrion stuttered, gulping, his eyes wide and glued to Cy's direction. "I'm sorry that I yelled…at…you…and since this is…probably…the last…thing…I will…say please… forgive me…" Cy raised her eyebrows.

"What the heck are you mumbling about?" Svrion didn't respond with words. Instead, he took the hand that was not pointing past her head to grab her chin and turn it to look behind her. Lo and behold! The entire Labyrinth's Army had surrounded them. Not good…

"Looks like…" Cy said, her voice now identical to Svrion's and her expression as well. "Looks like…I should…be sorry…too…but…not for the…slap…cause you…deserve it…but…for…yelling… and attracting…the Tanks…" At the end of the sentence, she started to back up till she stepped on Svrion, who also began to backtrack. The tanks, their red drills flashing, slowly advanced.

"Perhaps…" Svrion continued, his voice now sounding unusually high, "I should…offer some…advice…"

"What's…that…?" Svrion stopped and so did Cy. The Tanks stopped and powered up.

"**RUN!**" Svrion grabbed Cy's hand and bolted into the nearest pathway. Yelling and gasping, she was forced to follow him as the two ran for it. Poor children! Will they ever learn? Two teenagers couldn't possibly escape a hundred Tanks driving at top speed.

They tried anyway.

………

Celton, Hufanse, and Aundren stared at each other as they sat cross-legged in a triangular circle in the middle of the path. And of course, taking caution, it was on the same square.

"So…two teenagers to find…" Hufanse sighed. "How are we ever going to do this?"

"Let usthink logically…" Aundren suggested. Hufanse glared at him.

"Logic? LOGIC? How can you have _logic_ in a labyrinth! It's totally random! The probability of picking the same path they are on is one in a gazillion. And reasoning isn't going to get us anywhere because teenagers aren't going to use it, so there's no point in us using it."

"I _meant_, magic wise. I have already given up on the possibility that we will chance to pick the path which our comrades tread upon…" Hufanse raised an eyebrow.

"_Comrades_? Now you are making me feel guilty." Celton, who had resisted the urge to join the banter, finally decided that it was time to step in.

"True, my friends…" he paused there realizing he had used the word in a weird situation. "True, you two… magic would be a much better solution than…" Celton stopped again. Something was bothering him this time. Aundren and Hufanse must have felt it too because they started to gaze around.

"Strange…" Aundren whispered. "A force in the air, a magic released…a secret revealed…"

"Translation…?" Hufanse queried.

"Something ishappening." Aundren was right. The next second, the walls around them vanished and reappeared farther off. The entire path shifted, and the straight became the twisted. Celton narrowed his eyes.

"There was no tremor…this is not an ordinary Magical Labyrinth." With the shifting of a long stretch of the left wall, the Magical Labyrinth stopped. However, Celton, Aundren, and Hufanse were not convinced that the danger had passed.

"This," Celton said, "is making me suspicious. How can the Labyrinth change without the earthquake episode in the beginning?"

"Like I said," Aundren replied. "A secret revealed… do you not know? The Labyrinth's weakness consists of a pattern of several walls that run throughout the maze. When all are felt in spirit and imagined in the heart, you can command anything of the Labyrinth." Hufanse raised his eyebrows and backed up a step.

"That is damn _weird_!"

"I didn't make it up, if you by chance wonder. I read it somewhere in a poem, as always. The poem was based upon the art of interpretation, using the Labyrinth as a topic."

"A skill I do not have…"

"Oh Hufanse. I assure you that you possess the skill to decipher the meaning of that poem." Celton stepped between the two.

"You guys… chill. The poem is not what matters here…Hufanse, what are you staring at?" Celton and Aundren both looked at the Lord of Dragons as he turned and tried to look over the top of one of the walls. He turned around and pointed his thumb at the place he was staring at.

"Did you hear that?" he queried. Celton narrowed his eyes and walked up to the wall.

"What did you hear?"

"Sounded like a load of crap to me… and something about someone's father being insulted… something was bloody before that…a magic swordsman… something like that…" Aundren shrugged.

"An item of your imagination."

"Are you suggesting that I am hearing voices in my head?"

"No…are you suggesting that that's what I am suggesting?"

"Aundren…Hufanse…will you two EVER shut up?" Hufanse bit his lip and Aundren shook his head to clear the bangs from his eyes. "I figured out something while you two were randomly talking… there are only two other people alive in this Labyrinth. They must have been the ones talking! Guys! It's Cy and Svrion!"

"But exactly where are they?" Hufanse asked. Aundren shrugged.

"Ask the Labyrinth. A wall for the predator, a wall for the prey, a wall for those who don't wish to stay."

"Okay, right about now, rhymes are starting to bug me…"

"A triangle!" Celton suddenly shouted out. "I get it! It's the same reasoning I learned behind Magical Hats." Hufanse looked bitterly confused and Aundren nodded triumphantly. Then, something else caught their attention.

"RUN!" Celton, Aundren, and Hufanse spun around. As quick as the voice had been heard, it vanished among the walls.

"I think we better figure out this mystery soon," Hufanse informed. "If that's Cy, she's in danger!" Celton nodded.

"Okay, here's the deal. Magical Hats uses four hats. Three of the hats are decoys and the fourth is the one that protects. The decoys form a triangle barrier around the real hat. Don't you notice the earlier poem thing that didn't rhyme? _When all are felt in spirit and imagined in the heart, you can command anything of the Labyrinth_. It's the same idea. Take the wall near the predator, the wall near the prey, and the wall near others who don't want to stay. The three will form a triangle…"

"Which represents something?" Hufanse questioned.

"Duh! Three, dude, three! The three Realms…the three worlds…the three God Monsters…the symbol of protection and stuff…"

"OH! I get it!"

"And Magical Hats! That's been the answer to our problem all along! That's the perfect way to save Cy and Svrion. The Magical Hats tutor I had always told me to feel the environment before the attack. Everything ties in now!"

"And…" Aundren added. "There are three of us! Let us do this and save our friends from those who wish to harm them." Celton nodded.

"Okay form a triangle!" Aundren and Hufanse – whether he finally got it or not – stood in front of Celton, and the three stood in a small triangle. Each closed his eyes. For a moment, the only sound in the entire Labyrinth was a small rumbling noise that sounded like a bunch of machines rolling across a floor. Three guesses what that might be…

"Okay," Celton muttered, barely daring to breathe in order to keep his concentration. "I invoke the power of the Labyrinth environment. I feel the power of the wall of the prey…" Celton actually had no idea if he was doing it right. But it seemed like one of those climatic and dramatic scenes in movies where the hero closes his eyes and does some magical things by "feeling the power". Okay, whatever. The main thing is, in his head he imagined Cy and Svrion running behind some green glowing wall. Okay…

"I invoke the power of the Labyrinth environment," chanted Aundren, continuing the ritual. "I feel the power of the wall of the predator…" He imagined giant Tanks and Ghouls chasing as the wall behind them glowed blue.

"I invoke the power of the Labyrinth environment," Hufanse repeated. "I feel the power of the wall…of the…people…who…don't wish…to stay? Okay, I feel the power of our wall!" Despite his hesitation, the spell thing must've worked. Celton felt this surge of power shoot through his body.

_Magical Hats_, he commanded in his head…_oh no, I need a base…crap, how am I going to connect one? Cy, how can I connect to Cy? The staff…the staff…feel my power…I call upon **Magical Hats**_. Celton shivered as power surged outward in a triangular motion, sweeping the entire dungeon. Hufanse grabbed his brown flowing cape to keep it from flying away. Soon darkness poured over the entire scene.

"This is creepy," Hufanse said as the world turned dark around them. Suddenly, the wall behind him turned a fiery red and shot out rays. In the distance, green and blue walls glowed back furiously. Golden waves connected the three walls and a rainbow tower of magic rose up. Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton shielded themselves as a bright light rushed into their eyes. To top it off, a hat of black velvet – yes, as crazy as it seems – surrounded them and they lost conscious…

………

Cy…Svrion…now where were we? Hm…fighting, slapping, running… ah, yes. They were trying to outrun the Labyrinth Tanks. Keyword: _trying_. I'm not saying they got very far. In fact, at this moment, the two of them are cornered at a dead end that is not a fake wall and have nowhere to go. They could use a rescue right about now.

"Crap…we are _screwed_!" Svrion growled, looking up to see if he could possibly climb up.

"My staff can't get all of them!" Cy cried, holding up her staff in front of her to prove it. It seriously wasn't helping them. Svrion sighed.

"It was nice knowing you," he said. "But, it doesn't look like we're going to survive this!" It wasn't that hard to notice the point. The two had nowhere to run, and about fifty Tanks had cornered them. And now, their red drills were charging their purple power. Svrion gulped.

"Well…let's hope something…strange happens…" Cy wished.

"Cy. I will kiss you if we get out of here!" Cy backed up as the Tanks aimed at their target. The two pressed up against the wall.

"Really? Well, I'll look forward to that then…until then… this is gonna hurt!" Cy buried her face in Svrion's shoulder, who held her as if he was some brave hero. But really, he felt like screaming. The Tanks zeroed in on their target. The end was near…

Or was it? Now that's a stupid question. Of course it wasn't. The wall behind Svrion suddenly started to glow bright green. Svrion raised his eyebrows. For some reason he could not explain, he felt like reaching out and touching the wall. Not with his hands, but with his heart. That was a weird feeling. He snaked his arms around Cy's shoulders to get a grip on himself.

Svrion looked down as he heard Cy gasp. In her hands, her staff lit up into a bright purple light. The whole thing resonated in power. Then, the power spread to the two of them. Wind howled through the walls and the Tanks lost their charged up power. And then, the world grew dark.

"Can you see anything?" Cy asked, staring out into the darkness. Svrion was still holding her tightly. She felt safe in his arms. If the world died at the moment, she didn't care. As long as Svrion was there, with his arms around her, she could live for eternity.

"Look at that," Svrion replied. He pointed to the two walls that glowed different colors in the distance. All of a sudden, golden waves shot out of each wall and connected together. Cy noticed that they formed a triangle.

From this triangle rose up a tower of rainbow magic that stretched to the very limit of the shadowy sky. A bright light consumed the world, and a black velvet hat randomly plopped down on top of the duo. Cy and Svrion fell unconscious.

………

What seemed like thirty years later – though in reality, only a few minutes – Cy and Svrion woke up and groaned. They were in some velvet chamber. Some rustling indicated they were not alone.

"Who's there?" Came a voice.

"Cyrrielle and Svrion…"

"CY! IT'S YOU!"

"Celton, is that you?" While the two of them recognized each other, Svrion had the sense to realize they were inside a magical hat and pulled it off. The open air and light fell upon them. Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton gasped as they saw Cy and Svrion. After a brief period of weird silence, Cy started the reunion by shouting her brother's name and jumping into his arms.

With a heartfelt cry, the rest of them started to hug and cheer. Hufanse and Aundren embraced Svrion as Celton and Cy enjoyed a warm hug. Then, Cy gave Aundren and Hufanse both a friendly little cuddle. As you imagine, Hufanse blushed like _crazy_ and Aundren just smiled. Celton shook hands with Svrion. Then, they all had a group hug.

"We did it!" Hufanse exclaimed, hugging Aundren out of sheer joy. Svrion had to hug Cy after being relieved that he was still alive. And as he promised, he kissed her cheeks.

Cy gave a short gasp and she felt warmth radiating from her cheek to all parts of her body. She felt like a rose being reminded that it was spring; time to bloom, and the warmth of the spring air had finally touched her petals. It was a very magical moment.

"We're finally together!" she cried. "This is perfect!" She again reached out and the four others hugged her.

"Awww, how sweet. A touching reunion!" Cy gasped. The five immediately turned around. Facing them were five Magic Swordsmen.

"We heard the commotion and decided to check it out," said one with an exotic accent. "Now, the party is over. All of you are breaking the law. Our job is to see to it that your punishment is served… you will all cooperate or die!" Cy shook her head with horror, her face displaying a look of terrified anger.

_No…why does my life have to go terribly wrong just when it goes perfectly right?_


	8. Jailbreak! Part 4: Freedom Fight

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But you know that already.

Chapter 8: Jailbreak! Part 4: Freedom Fight

"Oh this is quite lovely," Aundren said sarcastically. He backed up as the five Magic Swordsmen advanced, swords ready. Cy, Svrion, Celton, and Hufanse agreed silently. They each had different things going on in their heads. Let's have a look, shall we?

_Oh dear, this is quite a challenge to overcome, isit not? I imagine that we are going to have a tough time with this too. Perhaps Hufanse and I should nothave tried to come over to the Light Kingdom, but what choice did we have? It was either die, escape, or join the Dark forces like our brothers. At least we had some adventure this way, though I still wish I had longer to live._

_Oh…man, we're going down! There's no way that the five of us can tackle the five of them. Maybe me, Aundren, and Celton have the skill, but Cy and Svrion, especially Cy, might not stand a chance…but I will not let Cy get hurt! No way! I will protect her…hopefully…_

_This is perfect! Just perfect! I can't believe I let Cy talk me into this. I knew I shouldn't have listened to her from the start. Her idea to rescue Svrion and the others was stupid, I knew that. Now look what happened. I'm not even going to get my Staff and be a Dark Magician now. All thanks to Cy…next time, if there is one, I'm not listening to her and her stupid rescue plans._

_Well…I guess this is going to be fun. Yeah, right! First Tanks, then columns of light, and now Magic Swordsmen. Wonderful…I hope I remember some of the basic spells Grandfather taught me, cause I know Cy, and it's highly likely I'm going to have to do some of the fighting for her. Oh well, at least she came to rescue me…_

_Can today **possibly** get any worse? Come on…okay, rescuing Svrion by myself was **probably** not the best idea, even with an annoying brother tagging along. But seriously, how did today end up so messed up? I want to start over…but it's too late. Well, it's fight the Magic Swordsmen, or die. Gee, that's a cheerful thought._

"May I ask," queried one of the Magic Swordsmen, "why are three teenagers of the Light Kingdom breaking into the Labyrinth – of all places, the Death Dungeon – to rescue a pair of evildoers? The times have already become dangerous with threats of war coming over the border everyday. Now we have trouble at home too?"

"There's a reason, sir," Svrion boldly answered. "And it's because people are so concerned with their safety that they don't stop to erase society's stereotypes. Not all from the Dark Kingdom are bad, and that's why we're helping Hufanse and Aundren. They are two of the few that can help us." The Magic Swordsmen looked at each other. Cy bit her lip.

_Nice convincing, though, I doubt it will work. I know Magic Swordsmen… they can be stubborn…and very attached to the law…_

"Look, times of war call for strict rules and policies. The two are imprisoned here for gathering intelligence, you are for helping them, and now the other two are going to be tried for trying to break you all out. And therefore, we will need to be taking you…"

"_Not without a fight you won't!_" Hufanse challenged. His voice echoed unsupported through the walls of the Labyrinth, ending all thoughts of peaceful negotiations. Svrion, Celton, Cy, and Aundren grimaced. The Magic Swordsmen became serious.

"Five on five, a fair deal!" Hufanse nodded, and he was the only one who did. "Two minutes to prepare." The Magic Swordsmen turned the corner for a few moments. Svrion wheeled on Hufanse.

"Now look what you did!" he hissed. "You've challenged them to an official Duel!"

"I was nervous!" Cy sighed and looked at the two of them.

"Well, we better think of a strategy then," she suggested. The others nodded grimly. What choice did they have? Cy's already thought of it: Fight or die… well, then there was always… running…

"Guys!" Celton suddenly said. "I just thought of something. Magic Swordsmen patrol the area, yes, but they always stay close to the exit… hurry, look around, the exit's around here somewhere!" Hufanse's eyes lit up.

"Perfect! We can finally get out of here!"

"We do not have enough time!" Aundren protested. "Two minutes is not sufficient for this task. We need to distract them, make some sort of diversion, and then only can we scan the area."

"What do you suppose we do?" Svrion asked. The question set the five of them pondering for an answer.

"I got an idea," Cy said. "Hufanse, Aundren, Celton… our best fighters. The three of you take them on. I know, three on five is not fair, but Svrion and I will try to find the exit. When we give you the signal, hurry and come over to us…" Hufanse and Aundren bit their lip.

"Risky, yes, but worth it…" they finally decided. "Now, everyone, agreement!" The five of them put their hands together and pulled back with a shout. Soon, they heard the same from their opponents. It was time to begin.

The Duel started out by the Formation. Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton – as it was agreed – stood in the front row as Cy and Svrion took the back. On the other side, the Swordsmen took a circular form. The two teams nodded. Ready…

As with every Duel, the process continued to a period of silence where the opponents merely stared at each other, trying to mess up the other guys' brains. It was the moment of psychological attack, quickly followed by the verbal assault, and then finished by the physical onslaught.

"You five are going to eat our dust!" Celton said, starting the ceremonial insulting procedure.

"Not if we can slap you upside the head first. And then you'll be left eating your own dust!"

"By the time we're through, you'll be covered in it!"

"By the time _we're_ through, you won't have any dust left!"

"I'll have plenty of dust, you better watch your own!"

"We're going to finish off your dust and you'll be sorry!"

"Celton!" Cy motioned for him to stop. The Magic Swordsman doing the attack slightly turned red from embarrassment before preparing. The final stage was about to begin.

Since it was definitely Cy and her little comrades that had the disadvantage, they pulled off the first attack. Hufanse and Aundren started things of with a bang, quite literally. The Magic Swordsmen coughed and backed up as the explosion didn't make its target, but still sent a smoke diversion into the air. Seeing it as her chance, Cy took Svrion's hand and rushed into the nearest path.

Two simultaneous shots blasted through the smoke and forced Celton, Hufanse, and Aundren to duck. The smoke cleared. The Magic Swordsmen looked around.

"Where are the two younger ones?" they demanded. Hufanse shrugged.

"I don't know!" The head of the Swordsmen cocked his head to the side and two of them nodded. Then, they went off in search of Cy and Svrion.

"Oh no!" Celton muttered under his breath as he chased after them. Hufanse and Aundren barely had time to protest before the remaining four opponents rained sparks on them.

"Two on four… this is really not fair!" Hufanse whined.

"Come on, Hufanse. Muster up your courage. There is no way we can fight this battle divided."

"Even united, it's hopeless…"

"Destiny chooses not to help the faint at heart… believe that you can do it, Hufanse… you take the right and I'll take the left." Hufanse rolled his eyes.

"Okay, let's carry on, shall we?"

………

"You really think we'll be able to find the exit, Cy?"

"Don't be doubtful, Svrion. You just might make the only thing driving me disappear." She stopped to catch her breath. Cy and Svrion had been running like the devil was behind them for a few minutes now. Now, they stopped to orient themselves. They were of course, still in the wretched Labyrinth. However, the brown walls had started to melt into a green faded appearance and their height had started to shrink.

"I think we're close," Svrion observed. Cy nodded.

"But… how exactly are we going to target in on the escape route."

"Ask the Labyrinth."

"Very funny…"

"No, I'm serious. When I wanted to change the walls to save you, that's precisely what I did." Cy turned to face Svrion with a surprised expression.

"You _asked_ the Labyrinth."

"Yeah…" Before Cy could exactly figure out how, the wall behind her exploded into tiny pieces. With a yelp, she fell into Svrion's arms.

"Thought you could escape, think again!" Cy and Svrion whipped around. One of the Magic Swordsmen stood there, a ball of magic ready in his arms.

"Please, don't do it!" Cy pleaded. The Swordsman smiled insanely.

"You are so pitiful you know… I recognize you… you are my friend, Neo's, daughter, aren't you?" Cy nodded. The Swordsman threw his sword to the side.

"Humor me… I give you… let's see… three seconds… pull off your best attack." Cy looked at Svrion with a quizzical expression.

"Attack?" Svrion asked. He looked at Cy.

"Why are you looking at me for?"

"A staff?"

"What made you think I had-,"

"Time's up!" The Swordsman, without warning, lunged for his sword. Another quick leap brought him in front of the pair. His sword flashed dangerously. Cy and Svrion couldn't have asked for a better hint to start running.

A bright flash whisked past them. Instinctively, Svrion pushed Cy to the ground. The ball hit their opponent, throwing him to the floor. Celton stood on the opposite side, smiling at his accomplishment.

Cy looked up and smiled at her brother. Celton looked down and nearly burst out laughing.

"You two… are you sure you can handle this… come on, I thought you were _just friends_!" Cy looked behind her and then only did she feel Svrion's weight. He was crouched protectively on her back.

"Oh…um…ahem…sorry," he flushed, getting off. Cy nearly melted with his warmth. Awww… such a touchingly embarrassing moment! I'm nearly bubbling over with excitement myself, but the Swordsman just got up, and I better remind Cy and Svrion to run for it.

………

A jab to the right. A punch to the left. Hufanse had abandoned magic entirely and reduced himself to fighting like a normal human being. The Magic Swordsmen's swords had been thrown into the air and landed on the other side of the wall a while ago. They thought it would be fair if they didn't use magic. Now they got their punishment: they were being _whipped_. Like cream.

Aundren was smarter. He was using magic, but in small spurts. His quick sparks of energy both blinded and stunned the Magic Swordsmen. Their swords lay broken… Aundren was quick to shatter it once the fight had begun.

Now that the fact that they are okay has been established, and of course, that half-witted last Swordsman is no match for Celton, Cy and Svrion seem to be the only priority.

No… wait! A new development. It seems Hufanse has finally knocked some sense into those two Swordsmen. Their thought right about now: _this hurts like hell… okay, enough being "nice law-abiding people". To hell with "no magic". I don't care if it is not battle etiquette. _

So, the two fused their powers together and created a net of chains. Not expecting it, Hufanse was thrown against the wall and bound there.

Aundren turned to try to help, but the other two Swordsmen copied the same move. The Dragon Master Knight found himself strapped to the wall alongside his friend. The four Swordsmen nodded their heads in satisfaction.

"Now, after the two young ones!"

………

I guess now it is more important to go back and check on Svrion and Cy. They were running away from the Magic Swordsman that was now getting creamed and whipped by Celton. Okay, that's one down. Cy and Svrion hoped Hufanse and Aundren - obviously not knowing the truth - kept the other four busy.

"The exit must be around here," Svrion concluded, finding an area where the grass had started to appear and the walls were lined with flowers.

"So…ask the Labyrinth already!" Cy urged. Svrion turned to her.

"Now?"

"Yeah… how long can it take? How hard can it be?" Svrion shook his head with a chuckle.

"Oh, sorry… I remember now. You didn't quite hear the rest of what I was saying. I forgot to mention that asking the Labyrinth requires a lot of concentration." Cy gaped.

"Forget to mention? Dude, this is like _major_ importance right here. Well, then, what are you waiting for? Concentrate? Wait… what exactly are you going to do?"

"The same triangle thing that the others did earlier. I don't know exactly how they did it, but it does require a lot of concentration."

"Right…then, go on." Cy stepped away, folded her hands behind her back, and waited impatiently. Svrion just stared at her with a confused expression.

"Now?"

"How many times do we have to go over this?" Svrion was about to say something when the four Magic Swordsmen suddenly entered their path. Uh-oh! Cy and Svrion gaped at them.

"Exactly…_how much_ concentration do you need?"

"At least five minutes!" Cy bit her lip. It was time for the diversion, except she had no idea how to do one. She didn't have much power either. There was not much room for escape, now that she thought about it. The tall walls still blocked them, and they were facing a dead end with two branches on the other side. One led away from the escape back into the barren part of the Labyrinth. The other housed four anxiously waiting Magic Swordsmen.

"Right…" Cy muttered. She looked around. The walls were made with flowers. Not a good enough weapon. The floor was lined with grass. Not a good enough weapon. Svrion was behind her with his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed. Not any kind of threatening weapon.

_I could always do the martial arts I learned from my brother, though these guys can use magic, and I won't stand a chance._ Cy thought hard about all the things her brother had said. He had told her a lot about power and spells. She learned her first spell from him, even if it was way too high above her level. And there were over nine hundred of them.

Wait…_wait…hold on…Celton told me there was nothing called Dark Magic Attack. He said it was only to connect with the staff…but if you don't have a staff, you don't need to connect. Doesn't the magic come from us and not the staff? It's like the words. The inner strength is what matters, not how fancy we make it on the outside. _Cy grinned. If this didn't work, she would regret it. But she might have just gotten on to something.

_It makes perfect sense with what I learned. I thought Dark Magic Attack was the real spell, but it was just to build up the image of those words. Really, we have to concentrate a lot more and get the spell from inside our heads. And if there are over nine hundred, my blabbering should be able to find a few that work._ Cy decided however random her attack might be, or however foolish she would sound, she had to try.

"So… we meet again," one of the Magic Swordsmen said, in his hand a ready ball of fire. "We've conquered your two Dark friends. Now… it's your turn." Cy narrowed her eyes. _If they dared to even harm Hufanse or Aundren, they will fear my wrath!_

"**Burst Stream!**" Cy commanded, thrusting out her hand. Nothing happened. "Oh… um… **Burst of Energy**. **Burst Bubble**. **Burst Away!**" _This is embarrassing. How can they fear this?_

It's true, how could they fear that? In fact, the four of them were stunned. And confused. This wasn't very… deadly. Come on. She was _Neo's_ daughter. The famous Magic Swordsman. Didn't she have _some_ talent?

"**Dark Burst Flame**!" Cy suddenly felt very weird. All of a sudden, a dark column of energy shot up around her. The Magic Swordsmen fell back with worry. They knew this attack. This was like… level four. No novice material.

Four blasts issued from the column. Each Swordsman was knocked back against the Labyrinth wall. Cy fell to her knees. That sucked up a lot of her energy right there.

………

"Dark Burst Flame!" Celton turned around. He knew that attack. It had taken him four weeks to learn. It was most frustrating. All of a sudden, a dark column of energy shot up to the perpetual darkness of the ceiling. Celton's eyes narrowed.

_That had to have been Cy. Damn it! She's learning all the hardest spells in five seconds and I took forever. This is quite ironic. How did she even know it in the first place? I don't think I'm giving her enough credit._ Celton didn't stand there to think about it longer than that. It was too embarrassing. Instead, he triumphantly took the sword of the unconscious Magic Swordsman he towered above and broke it in half.

Four shots echoed in the silence he stood in. Celton gasped.

_Four? Oh no! The others have gotten to her. What happened to Hufanse and Aundren?_ Celton worriedly rushed over back over the path he had followed to get here. It led him right to the place where the two were chained to the wall.

"Celton! Oh my gosh, man! Too good to see ya!" Celton stood there, eyes narrowed, jaw hitting the floor.

"I suggest that instead of standing there like an idiotic moron, you actually come here and free us of our bonds," Aundren advised. Celton shook himself and took the hint. With a sharp shot from his staff, the chains clanged to the hard ground. Hufanse shouted in the air and jumped into Celton's arms.

"I love you, man! I thought we were toast from those Labyrinth Tanks that were sounding in the distance." Celton winced and tried to edge away from the embrace.

"We apologize, Celton. Unfortunately, those Magic Swordsmen got the best of us. Fear not, I am sure we will be able to find Svrion and Cy and help them." Hufanse's eyes widened. He quickly pulled Celton back and shook his shoulders.

"Where's Cy?" he demanded concernedly. Celton pushed him off.

"I thought you guys would know. That one Swordsman was chasing them. I defeated him, but in the process I had to let them go. They were supposed to find the exit. I'm not sure if they got anywhere."

"Celton! Those other four were after her! She'll die out there!"

"Don't worry. We can find them; they'll be fine! Didn't you see that one attack? That column of energy was them."

"Still… we better find her."

"Wait… I just noticed. You mean _them_. What… is your best friend not important enough?"

"I'm sorry… but I happened to have this thing for Cy, if you haven't noticed yet."

"So?"

"I'm sorry, Celton and Hufanse, if I am interrupting this brotherly love here, but I do believe that Cy and Svrion _both_ are in danger, whichever one you prefer to support. If we do not go to their aid, I doubt they will be able to fight off the Magic Swordsmen. If Cy or Svrion used that attack, such a powerful one at that, then we can safely conclude that they are in danger."

"Beautifully said. Now, let's go!"

………

Svrion squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block his mind from what was happening out there. He had to concentrate. His concentration was extremely vital for their escape. He needed to make that stupid triangle come into his head. Somehow.

Unfortunately, the only thing in his head was Cy. No… he wasn't necessarily thinking of her skipping through his mind while petals rained on her from the heavens. He was hoping that she would be able to distract the two. And the thing he was thinking of was her safety.

_Arg…concentrate. What has Grandfather taught me? I must concentrate only on my goals and ignore the lesser distractions._ He heard some words… obviously Cy trying to use some magic spell. Svrion had to plug his ears.

_Okay… imagine a golden triangle. One that connects all of us. Cy and me… Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton, and the exit. Okay…I can picture it. It's glowing._ Suddenly, four shots pounded the air. Svrion felt his eyes itch. He desperately wanted to open and make sure Cy was okay. His left eyelid was slowly rising. His concentration was dwindling by a hair. His brain was sending emergency signals to shut down the eyelids. The only way to do that: pain. Svrion felt something sharp in the corner of his eye. His lids slammed down immediately. The water system was on… tears were pouring.

_Oh… it's no time to worry about what Cy will think to see me cry. I must cry… I mean, concentrate. The triangle… the triangle…oh Labyrinth, I seek your help. Show me the exit._

And as Svrion's concentration battled on, he slowly saw victory in the horizon.

………

Cy breathed heavily. The four Swordsmen shook their heads and moaned, slowly getting to their feet. They were banged pretty hard by that attack. However, they still recovered with mild cases of lack of coordination. It would stall them for a couple of minutes at least.

While they got back on track with their brains, Cy shot out a series of small bullets by shouting **Fire Shot**. This would stall them further. Then, hopefully, Celton, Hufanse, and Aundren would make it.

Cy felt a small breeze blowing. She looked around for the source. The past few times she had felt wind within these walls, some magic was brewing. Her suspicion was confirmed. Above her materialized a giant golden triangle. She realized that she and Svrion were right below the left point. She turned. Svrion had just opened one eye to look above, seeming skeptical that his plan had worked. That is… until he saw the golden triangle floating above them. It seemed to be convincing enough.

"Hey… I did it!" he cried. Cy nodded.

"What do we do now?"

"Follow the side of the triangle to the top point, which of course marks the exit. If I am correct, it is the one that branches to the right of us." Cy nodded and the two took the branch from which the Magic Swordsmen had come out a while back.

………

"Look…a triangle! Floating in the sky!"

"Now…Hufanse. This is no time for childish games. Please stop trying to trick us or we willnever find our two friends."

"No…seriously, Aundren. There's a triangle floating above us. The lower right point seems to be where we are located. It makes best sense seeing the odd shape of the thing. But who cares!" Celton and Aundren chose to look up at that point. They did see the geometrical figure Hufanse mentioned.

"You are right…maybe Svrion did this. I know my sister definitely couldn't. Anyway, what do we suppose we do?"

"Follow it, of course. Perhaps following the side of the triangle up to the top point would lead us to the exit. It makes perfect sense." Celton nodded. "Okay, let's go. We have an escape to finish!"


	9. Espionage

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 9: Espionage!

Cy ran alongside Svrion as they followed the long side of the triangle to where it supposedly pointed. It was not a very straight path they were following. Several times, they had to take detours due to the fake walls and dead ends they encountered. The twodarted in and out of the real Labyrinth and the flowery gardened area. It made Cy really worried.

"We're never going to make it to the top!" she whined. Svrion looked back at her. "I don't think this is going to be very easy."

"Now look who's being doubtful," he muttered under his breath. Cy growled and made a note to keep future comments to herself.

"Hey, I think we are here," Svrion stopped abruptly, and like in all popular cartoon shows where characters do that, Cy bumped right into him, and the two toppled down on each other.

"Don't do that!" Cy exclaimed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Her mind suddenly giggled at that expression. _In what way? A panic attack or a love attack?_ Cy slapped herself.

"What?" Svrion asked. Cy realized she had done it physically instead of mentally.

"Oh…nothing…I just felt like randomly slapping myself." Svrion looked at her with a very hesitant expression. After all, Cy did say a really stupid line right there.

"Here we are!" That touching moment was soon interrupted by Hufanse's triumphant voice as he, Aundren, and Celton emerged from the other entrance to the clearing. They stopped to catch their breath and look around at the "escape route".

It didn't look any different from all the other neatly gardened areas in the Labyrinth. Little rose bushes sprung up all around them, throwing their joyous scent into the air. The soft walls were made of carnations that fluttered in the absence of wind. It was a very romantically beautiful spot but contained nothing that even hinted of escape.

"It's just a rectangle with two entrances," Celton stated flatly. "Wow, what a wonderful escape route this is."

"Well…let usmake sure we are indeed correct," Aundren suggested. "A triangle has three points, one of which is right above us. If Cy and Svrion were in the one to our left and Celton, Hufanse and I were in the one to our right, then this must be the top point. Then we can conclude that there must be something special we must do, by chance a secret password?"

"What?" Hufanse chuckled. "Like Open Sesame." The others smiled at his joke before realizing it wasn't a joke. Seriously. The tip of the triangle above them emitted sparks that shined like stars. They floated over to the northern wall and created a dancing circle. Then, slowly, each spark connected to another in one long crisscrossed golden line. It was like a musical without the music. The dancing was so wonderfully synchronized. And hypnotizing.

"What is it doing?" Cy asked. The others shrugged and watched in interest. Finally, the number was over. The sparks seemed to wink and bow to their audience as they finally cast a portal to the outside world. The Celton, Aundren, Cy, and Svrion looked at it warily, not quite trusting a passage through. However, Hufanse was oblivious to their unconvinced stare.

"WHOO! We're free!" he shouted as he shot like a bullet through the gateway. It took only a second of blinking for the others to shout his name in protest, quickly change their tone to worry, and jump through themselves.

………

Anyone who had been on the other side of the portal would have been quite frightened out of his or her mind. Let's say someone was there, sitting in the grass clearing and for no reason at all looking at a huge boulder. Then suddenly, the boulder started streaming golden light and when the rays were at their brightest, five teenagers suddenly appeared on top of each other. The person would probably blink a few times, look to the side for the nearest escape route, and bolt out of there.

The group of five got a similar reaction from all the animals that were happily grazing in that part of the forest. Why they were grazing in the middle of the night, no one will ever know. Maybe they were nocturnal? Deer…nocturnal? This was a weird part of the world. Are deer nocturnal?

Yeah, I doubt that was what Hufanse, Aundren, Celton, Cy, and Svrion were thinking as they moaned and struggled to get off of each other.

"We're out!" Cy breathed a sigh of relief, looking over at the others. They all stood silently for a few seconds. "_We're out!_" The words shook sense into the other guys.

"WE…DID IT!" Svrion yelled, hugging Cy and twirling her around as she laughed. The others did their own little jig and had a five-minute celebration. Then, they calmed down.

"Whoo…" Cy sighed. "That felt good." They welcomed the sound of silence and peace that resonated silently around them. Peaceful silence sounded good, especially after being trapped in a Labyrinth that hummed with the Labyrinth Tanks' breaths.

"So…" Hufanse started, clearing his throat. "What do we do now?"

"Get out of here!" Celton said. The others looked at him. "I'm serious. I think we got so caught up in celebration that we didn't realize what happened. Do you not realize that the five of us in some way assisted in rescuing each other, and therefore, helped each other break out of jail? On top of that, we beat five Labyrinth guards in a crushing Duel? Or that… we did succeed in breaking out and in turn, _breaking the law_!" The others looked at each with shocked expressions as the words hit them like falling stones. It was all true. They were convicts now.

"What do you suppose would befall us now?" Aundren queried nervously.

"Well…" Celton thought. "I don't know what will happen to us or what we should do exactly."

"I know," Svrion suggested. "We should run to the Dark Kingdom." The others looked at him, looked at each other, widened their eyes, and all yelled in perfect sync,

"**_WHAT?_**" Svrion stepped back from the combined shout. It was so powerful that they must have somehow practiced. He didn't think his reasonable statement would get such a shocked response. He was sure that anyone within a mile would have heard that. Or at least, they would have seen the night birds suddenly take to flight in alarm. And it all pinpointed the exit clearing.

"Shush!" he instructed. "Think about it. If we go back to our own kingdom, we will be punished severely. If we stay out here, we will be caught or killed. If we go to the Dark Kingdom…well, we can at least _try _to fit in." The others pretended to think about it. Only Aundren took it in the slightest of sensibleness.

"You do offer a good position," he assented. "I presume that the Light Kingdom will not take to us kindly if we go to them right after breaking out of jail. But, if we give them a _reason_ for our act of treason, I imagine you could call it that based on the circumstances of our actions in literal terms, then perhaps they would consider our apology if we so wish to give them one." The others shrugged, but Hufanse looked at his friend in a confused way.

"Circumstances of our actions in literal terms?" he questioned. "Can you tell me what in the world that is even supposed to hint at sayin'?" Aundren sighed, but Cy answered for him.

"Don't you get it? What did Svrion and I literally do? We broke you guys out of jail."

"Specifically," Aundren explained. "They assisted in the escape of two enemies of the Light Kingdom, against the law and rightfully treason. I mean, if we really were enemies, what Cy and Svrion would be doing would hurt the entire kingdom. They would supposedly be betraying the oath to their own government."

"I guess you are right."

"And the other part of what Aundren was saying," Celton said, "is that he believes we should give them a reason for what we did. So, if we somehow go to the Dark Kingdom and defeat the new threat of war, our rulers might see this in a different light and forgive us." The five of them considered the options one more time and decided that was the best choice. Dark Kingdom was the only way left.

"So…" Hufanse said, "What are we doing now?" The others sighed and looked around in exasperation.

"You're so stupid!" Cy exclaimed. "What do you think the _whole_ conversation was about, retard?" Hufanse cringed.

"That's Harsh!" Aundren whispered.

"I know," Hufanse said.

"We should do something about it." Hufanse looked over at his worried friend.

"It's okay man, I don't have a chance anyway."

"What do you mean? This is a perfect opportunity! We must follow…"

"Look… she likes Svrion okay, I can tell. Nothing I do is going to stop her." Aundren suddenly stopped talking and looked over at Hufanse with a quizzical expression. Hufanse noticed that and the fact that the other three were staring at the two of them. Perhaps they were trying to make out what the duo was whispering.

"That isnot what I meant," Aundren said. Hufanse raised his eyebrows. "I meant that isHarsh. As in… your brother." Hufanse's headsuddenly snapped up and the others looked around.

"What?" Hufanse demanded. Aundren pointed to a path in the woods. Sure enough, two men were walking. One of them definitely looked like an older version of Hufanse. "What the Shadow Realm is he doing here?" Aundren shrugged.

"I'm confused," Cy declared behind them, but the two had seemingly forgotten that the other three existed.

"Let usfollow him and see what he is up to," Aundren decided. Hufanse muttered some thing about his "damn brother" and then "walking outside the Kingdom" and then proceeded to follow with the plan. Svrion, Cy, and Celton – suddenly very confused on what was happening – had no choice but to follow.

"Do you get what in the name of Obelisk they are doing?" Celton muttered. Cy shrugged her shoulders.

"Not a Ra-damned clue!" But, we all know, they had no choice but to follow the Dark Kingdom pair as they followed another Dark Kingdom pair on the path to the deepest section of the forest. Scary, huh?

………

After a few minutes, Cy, Svrion, and Celton had caught up to Hufanse and Aundren. The two were crouched at some bushes that outlined the perimeter of another clearing. The bright campfire light illuminated a small circle of men that gathered around it, and in the background tents stood faintly visible against the dark backdrop of the forest. The flickering flames reflected off the faces of the group of men as they all were gathered together to discuss some very important matters. Hufanse and Aundren had been careful to choose a part of the bushes where the blackness of the surrounding woods had suddenly marked a definite boundary so it was impossible for them to be seen.

"What's going on?" Cy whispered slightly. Hufanse put a hand to her lips and pointed to the band of warriors.

"Dark Kingdom," he mouthed before turning back. Cy leaned closer and squinted. She suddenly pulled back with a gasp.

"Juoro!" she cried. "Juoro's there!" Celton hissed as he clamped a hand over her mouth and the other three quickly made her duck. From her outburst, the eight men that were gathered around the fire quickly looked in their direction. Only the shadows of the forest met their gaze.

"It is nothing," said one of the men, a Dragon Master Knight who looked very familiar. "It is our imagination. None of the Light Kingdom's warriors will be spying here." The others nodded and proceeded to tuck their knees under their chins and wrap their arms around their legs.

"It is a bit cold isn't it?" said the youngest of the group, a black-haired teenager with freckles that our heroes had already identified as Juoro. The Dragon Master Knight that had recently assured the safety of the group put an arm around the teenager.

"Tolerance…and determination. That's what makes you one of us, Juoro. Now tell me, it seems you have done your job, right? What did we make you do…oh yes, act like a student in the Dark Magic Academy. What did you find out?" Juoro looked over at the fire.

"Well Randren Sir… your younger brother, Aundren, and Harsh's brother Hufanse were in the Light Kingdom, just like you had suspected, Sir. This one student named Svrion, Sage Morlen's great-great or something grandson, was hiding them there. The three of them were sent to the Labyrinth. Ah, and you know Magic Swordsman Neo? His daughter, Cyrrielle, is also in that Academy…Sir." While we let Randren ponder out this new info, let's go back to the other group.

"He's going to tell our whole life story if we don't stop him!" Cy growled. At the moment, Svrion, Hufanse, and Celton were all forcibly making her kneel on the floor, holding down her arms and shoulders. If they hadn't, she would have probably charged at the other group like a Mad Sword Beast. Aundren was still crouching near the bushes, looking over with a venomous glare at his older brother.

"I should have suspected that my older brother would be up to this. He was never one to shirk his duties to the Dark. I feel ashamed to call him my older brother with the amount of destruction he plans to bring upon the Light Kingdom. Randren…how could you?" Cy stopped wriggling and the other three let her go. She crawled over to Aundren and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The leader, Randren, he's your brother? Wow… that must be hard." Cy and the others once again took their positions behind the bushes and watched the firelight circle as Randren prepared to speak.

"Okay…so now we have Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren to worry about. Those three must know that we would be camped here." The others looked at one another.

"It does not matter though," a Lord of Dragons said, throwing back his brown hair like some showy teenager. "Those three are in the Labyrinth. There's nothing they can do to us."

"Ha!" Hufanse scoffed from the sidelines. "Harsh…you don't know how wrong you are!"

"Yes, but we must use extreme caution!" Randren warned, looking over at Juoro. "Now, my dear apprentice, tell me about this girl. Cyrrielle, was she called?"

"They're going to talk about me…oh, I'm a celebrity!" Cy sighed happily as she flipped back her blonde hair, lay down on her stomach, and prepared herself to listen to comments about herself. She rested one hand on her cheek and the other she used to study her nails, acting like one of those overly popular girls that expected good things about themselves from everybody. Of course, she was only pretending.

"Well…that girl, Cy she goes by Sir. Anyway, it's quite unusual that she's in Dark Magic Academy. She's weak, stupid, blonde, and quite unappealing." Cy's arm gave away and her face came in contact with the grass. _Did he just say…unappealing?_

"I'm going to teach that maniac a lesson!" she cried, literally pouncing out of her position.

"**NO!**" the other four cried as they also threw themselves on top of her and strangled her to the ground. This immediately attracted the attention of the Dark Warriors.

"Now, that definitely was not hallucination!" Randren determined, looking over at one of his gang. He made a quick nod with his head and the warrior swiftly got up and vanished behind the tents. Randren resumed his talk, warily looking over in the direction of our heroes every now and then, his piercing green eyes really scaring our five. By Aundren's intelligent thinking, they moved over to a different spot to resume their espionage.

"Anyway, these four are probably the only ones to give us trouble. But then we have to count Sage Morlen and Swordsman Neo as well…that's six people we will need to be cautious of when we pull of this attack."

"Attack?" Cy, Hufanse, Aundren, Celton, and Svrion all simultaneously whispered, forgetting their present position and suddenly wondering what was going on.

"Ah yes, my brilliant plan!" Harsh suddenly announced, straightening his hood. Randren gave him a withering look.

"I should have known it would be my brother's idea!" Hufanse growled from the side. "Let me guess…he's going to use the Dragons!"

Randren looked back at the fire with a very serious, penetrating stare. The others grew quite as they saw their leader look so dark and grave.

"Eight people…" he said, "…and eight Dragons… will that be enough to get past the guards, capture the King and Queen, and get out?"

"Certainly!" Harsh replied. Cy, Svrion, and Celton gasped. Hufanse and Aundren growled.

"They're planning to launch a surprise attack!" Cy whispered. "If we don't do something, our Kingdom is in danger."

"We have no choice do we," Svrion said. "Now we can't stop these men. Instead, we have to go to the Dark Kingdom and stop any further attack they may be planning. If we can try to knock out the base of the pyramid, the whole thing will hopefully come down." Cy bit her lip. What had started out as a simple wish to be the first female Dark Magician had turned into this war that threatened the entire realm.

_Did I just hear what he said? Did he just say we have to stop the Dark Kingdom? The five of us? Just a few days ago I bet, we were just three students helping two refugees. Now, we have suddenly turned into a group of heroes! What can the five of us do that will change the fate of millions of people?_ Cy stopped thinking as she felt someone breathe down her back. It wasn't a small whoosh of air. It was a hot, down-to-the-bone blast of air that made her shiver.

"Svrion…" she whispered.

"Yeah…"

"What's behind me?" Svrion scrunched his eyes and turned to look behind the back of his friend. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide. His voice refused to leave his throat so he scampered back and hit Hufanse.

"What man…oh, dang Ra!" Cy was visibly trembling. Slowly, she turned around her. Two icy blue eyes stared her down. Cy's own eyes traced the creature's long silver neck lined with perfectly tessellating silver scales. By this time, Aundren and Celton had also been alerted and the five of them looked at the Dragon with frightened expressions. They could only do one thing in a situation like this.

"**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_**!"


	10. To the Rescue! Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 10: To the Rescue! Part 1

"That was also definitely not a hallucination. Men, let's move," commanded Randren. As response to his order, the other six still left around the campfire quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed to the place where they heard the scream. Juoro tried to join them, but Randren quickly grabbed his arm.

"Hurry, Scout! Go back and tell the king and queen that the plan might not work. The spies have started to cross the border as well."

"But Randren sir…"

"Do as I say!" Juoro nodded, quickly took his belongings, and left in the opposite direction. Randren muttered curses under his breath as he took a branch and lit it on fire. Then, he ran after his men.

On the other side of the trees, Cy, Hufanse, Aundren, Svrion, and Celton had backed up against a tree as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared and approached them. Behind it, a single Lord of Dragons stood waiting with a flute to control his Dragon.

"White Lightning!" the Lord shouted, blowing several notes into the flute. Immediately, the Dragon charged up and gathered sparks of energy.

"Now!" Cy cried, and just as the blast of power bellowed towards them, the five split up in either side. The burst stream of white energy hit the tree instead, and in a bright light, caught it aflame. The Lord of Dragons blew a few more notes and the Dragon turned to face Hufanse and Aundren. On the other side, Celton, Svrion, and Cy made a quick plan.

"Destroy the man's flute!" Celton said, turning to Cy. "Svrion and I will distract him by saving the other two!" Cy nodded swiftly in agreement as they split.

"Traitors!" said the Lord of Dragons, removing the flute from his mouth. "Hufanse and Aundren, the pitiful brothers of our greatest leaders. You should be ashamed of yourselves for ever thinking that you could conspire against the Dark!"

"It is you who should be ashamed," Aundren said. "That you dare to threaten us when we are working to protect this world from you and your horrible scheme. Only ill fortune shall follow Randren where he hopes to go."

"You," Hufanse continued, "have known us since we were little buddies at school, and yet now you hope to kill us?" The Lord of Dragons, enraged at the remarks, took up his flute to blow when suddenly Svrion and Celton launched a surprise attack from the back. It hit him like a tsunami wave, and he was swept right into a tree. For a split second after the attack faded, everything grew still and quiet. The darkness of the forest settled in once again, and one little cricket chirped.

Suddenly, the glow of the flute appeared again as Cy, crawlingaround to find it, bumped into it by accident. She picked it up.

"I got it!" she cried. The Dragon turned towards her. "Oops…maybe I shouldn't have made that a grand announcement."

"Dark Magic Attack!" Celton shouted. A bright ball of purple energy formed at his fingertips. It grew larger and larger as it gathered energy, finally speeding toward the Dragon and knocking it down. With a large, angry snarl, it crashed to the ground in a cloud of dirt and dust.

Cy took one end of the flute and swung with all her might. She crashed the wide end of the flute right into a nearby tree. It shattered in a blaze of silver sparks. Once again, the forest was silent and dark.

The rest of the campfire crew appeared by the injured Lord's side and helped him up. Cy backed up so she stood with her four friends. Finally, Randren appeared in the middle, standing next to the fallen Dragon and stroking its scales. His torch was the only light in the whole clearing, and it was barely enough to illuminate the faces of the opposing sides. Only Randren's face was visible, and it displayed a malicious grin.

"It's been a while, little bro. How nice it is to see you."

"My day has not been made any better, Randren, by your presence. Funny to see that my appearance has lit your face up ten shades more than that blaze of fire ever could." Aundren's statement had its effect. Randren sported a scowl now.

"If you think this a pleasant family reunion, you are wrong. I'm here to wipe out the meager resistance you offer now so we may proceedwith our plan. Already, you have injured one of my Lords and put his Dragon out of play. And you've destroyed that flute, but it does not matter. First of all, the bond we share with our Dragons is what really controls them. Second, the Master Flute still lives, radiating its power throughout the land. Also, fear not, we still have seven Dragons and six more strong men where that came from."

"Meager resistance?" Hufanse repeated. "Excuse me, but I think we're one heck of fine warriors here." At his statement, Randren turned to the other five men. They all laughed and the sound of their cackling filled the clearing. Cy and the others only grimaced deeper.

"I'll let us decide that for ourselves," Randren said, hiding a chuckle behind the shadows. "Five on five should be fair for you. Prove to me that this is not 'meager resistance' then. As my younger brother, you should do quite well in this battle."

"I don't know about you, Randren sir," Harsh said from the side. "But I am looking forward to squeezing the brains out of my little sibling over there." Hufanse growled.

"You were a handful to start with," he retorted. "We'll see who gets their brains conked out."

"You're on. We're one-to-one!" Randren sighed.

"So, we're choosing our partners, eh?"

"In that case, I get the girl," said one of the Knights. "I'll go easy on her." Cy narrowed her eyes.

"Please, save it for the ballroom floor. You'll get no lady-like manners here. There's no point in trying your gentleman flair."

"And him," said another one of the Knights, pointing at Svrion. "Sage Morlen's descendent. It would be an honor to crush him."

"Likewise, it would be an honor to defeat you," replied Svrion.

"I'll take your brother, Randren sir, if you do not mind," said one of the Lords. Randren nodded in approval, sending a smirk over to Aundren.

"If you do not find it worth your time to fight me, you are making a grave mistake." Randren chuckled at his younger brother's comment.

"I guess it is me against you," said the last Lord, looking at Celton. "How lucky am I to get the only formidable looking Dark Magician."

"Attempts to flatter me, I guess? Well, it's not working."

"Okay then!" Randren threw his torch to the side, clapping his hands. Immediately, a ring of fire sprung up around the boundary of the clearing, creating a small rectangular field. The dancing columns of bright fire rose up so they were as tall as the trees. The center of the ring grew hot and bright. On one side, five Dark Kingdom warriors stood tall, waiting for the order to begin. On the other, our group of heroes stood standing equally as high, not necessarily in height, but in determination. Between the two, Randren stood with one arm on the recovering Dragon and the otherarm supporting the fallen Lord of Dragons.

"There is no need to establish a time limit as we are going for the kill here." Randren stressed the words and sent them over to the Dark warriors as if to especially penetrate their skulls on the seriousness of the battle. "Don't hold back, either side. I want to see what the 'good people' are capable of." The Dark warriors chuckled and got into their attack stance. The Knights took out their swords and started up a flaming energy that ran through the blades. The Lords held out two hands, getting ready with glowing balls of energy that grew larger. The five bent their knees and put on faces of battle glee to hide any fear they kept inside.

Celton brought his staff out and poured magic into it, its aura getting brighter by every passing second. Aundren brought out his own sword and put it in front of him in battle position. Hufanse readied his ownglobes of energy. Cy and Svrion looked at each other clueless. They didn't really have a staff or the ability to hold energy in their hands.

"Magic Globe!" Celton hissed towards them. "Magic Globe!" Cy shrugged. He was on the opposite side, and she couldn't really hear what he said.

"Magic…Flow…" she whispered. Between her hands, white strings of energy gathered like a pool of lightning. She looked over at her brother, who slapped his forehead.

"Are we ready?" Randren asked, though it was more like a statement. His trained warriors bowed their heads in unison and said in sync,

"Yes, sir. Ready, sir!"

"Um…sure…yeah!" The Light Kingdom five replied all at different times, sounding like confused muttering. Randren found this even more amusing.

"Then, individual battles, start at convenience!" Randren stepped back a pace, and immediately the preliminary shots were fired across the battlefield. Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton all launched attacks that were met right in the center, vanishing because of equal strength. Svrion merely conjured up a shield and his opponent's attack frizzled out. Cy had to duck because she hadn't figured out how to fire her strings of energy.

_Let's try something_, she decided. _Shout out random words again, and hopefully one will work._

"Launch!" she shouted. The strings of energy between her hands merely flickered, but did nothing. "Magic Launch?" This time, it worked. A large bolt of lightening shot out of the pool between her hands. It sliced through the shield her partner conjured up and hit his shoulder, knocking him back.

"Cool!" Svrion said, creating his own pool of lightening. "Magic Flow. Magic Launch!" His bolt of energy barely missed its mark as his opponent rolled out of the way.

"Watch it!" Celton warned. "That's third level material. A simple spell, but quick to drain energy!" Svrion nodded. He looked over at Cy.

"I heard that!" Cy said. "I've got other plans too! Magic Stop! Magic Halt! Magic Disappear! Magic Disintegrate! Magic Melt! Magic Cool… hey, who would have thought that would work!" Cy hurried out of the way as her opponent, growing impatient, hurled a ball of fire at her. Now that the lightning strings were out of her hands, she searched her mind for any other sort of spell.

"Magic Globe!" Celton said, quickly turning back to counter-spin his staff.

"Magic Sword!" Cy cried, hoping that's what her brother had swiftly shouted. Besides her, she could hear some sort of a yell before a spell suddenly lit up her vision. In a quick moment of confusion, she saw a bright white light coming towards her, drowning out the vision of flames so all she saw was a bright field of white. Suddenly, something collided with her left shoulder and she was forced to the ground, sprawling over to the edge of the battlefield. If it weren't for the sudden scorching touch of the boundary flames, she would have slipped into unconsciousness. Instead, she yelped and crawled back, turning to see what the commotion had been.

The loss of the white light caused her vision to have difficultly adapting to the rush of darkness. As the light flowing from the fire adjusted, she saw Svrion lying where she had stood, bleeding from the corner of his mouth. Celton had created a magic shield that he used to shield both Svrion and himself as he tried to revive the fallen teenager.

"Svrion!" Cy gasped, rushing over to her friend just as her opponent realized she had come back, firing multiple shots of white bullets. She recognized them as the same bright light that had nearly hit her face. Cy ducked behind the shield.

_If it weren't for Svrion…_

"He's in bad condition!" Celton explained. "I don't have energy to spend on healing him."

Cy mouthed "no" before she knelt by Svrion, looking up pleadingly into her elder brother's eyes. He sadly shook his head. It was obvious. In a battle of such high stakes, he needed every bit of his energy. Cy's vision focused out in the background, where Hufanse and Aundren were forced to take on all five of the bored opponents.

"Celton! Go back and help the others! I'll protect Svrion and fight!" Celton nodded, though not very confidently, before finishing off his shield seal and joining the battle. Cy took one of Svrion's hands into her own. The crackle of the flames, the battle cries, and the explosions of the exchanging blasts faded down to a mere hum as tears sprung into Cy's eyes. Svrion moaned lightly and shifted, lifting Cy's hopes lightly.

"Svrion?" she whispered, leaning closely over his face so that the shadow of her hair protected him from the harsh firelight. "Are you okay?" Another moan responded and Svrion opened his eyes cautiously.

"Cy? Are you okay? I didn't think you saw that coming-,"

"Why did you do such a thing!" she scolded, a tear finally escaping the protection of her lashes. "You could have just shouted a warning, you know!" Svrion laughed silently.

"You know that I always like to be the big hero!" Cy didn't know whether to cry, laugh, or shout at him. She doubted she had ever been this near to him, so alone in the large forest where even the closest people seemed so distant.

"I'm so sorry!" Cy said, stroking Svrion's cheek. "So sorry for everything! This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me. I was the one who told all about Hufanse and Aundren. I was the one who was too weak in battle. I was the one who caused everything." Svrion shook his head.

"I was the one who risked everyone, including Hufanse and Aundren, by bringing them to this Kingdom. I should have thought of something better, but we all make mistakes."

"But mine were far greater!" Cy protested in a whiny voice. "They wouldn't have been caught if it wasn't for me! They wouldn't have been found at all. You did such a good job of protecting them and I came and ruined it all." Svrion rolled his eyes at her. Groaning, he tried to raise his head a little higher so he could see her better. However, she pressed her hands down on his shoulders.

"No, don't move!" Svrion didn't have the energy to fight back. Instead, he sighed and let himself be pushed back down. In the little silence that followed, he began to notice the warmth of Cy's face so close to his, to feel the soft hands that pressed lightly against his shoulders, to realize that she was so close to him.

So close to him, and yet he didn't say a word. He did, right now, realize that he was lying in the middle of the battlefield while the fighting still continued outside the protective shield. Hopefully he did, or else he really got a good concussion there when he was thrown to the ground. It was not that he was ignorant, so it had to have been that he was enjoying the moment. And funny, Cy didn't suspect a thing.

Well, someone's got to make a move.

"You know, Cy…" Svrion started, aiming once again to get up, but Cy firmly kept her hands down on his shoulders.

"Look, I've done enough damage! I can't let you go out there!"

"You haven't done anything half as bad-,"

"I haven't done anything? Well, I tell you, if I hadn't done _anything_ then I wouldn't be here. I would be in some female school learning how to be a Magician of Faith or a Mystical Elf but no! I argued with my parents to go to Dark Magic Academy. I persuaded you to let me in on your secret. I let it all out to my parents about Hufanse and Aundren. I got you sent to jail for it. I nearly got us all killed in that Labyrinth for suggesting to rescue you. Now, I'm nearly getting us all killed for getting out… and that's not all, but now we're in the middle of some scheme that's got both Kingdoms involved, something that…" Svrion rolled his eyes again as she droned on. Cy was getting a little too possessive of her errors.

It wasn't helping that with every word, she was pressing harder on Svrion's shoulders. He could feel her fingers even through his Dark Magician attire. That was scary. And she was starting to get more mad rather than upset. It wasn't any worse though. Svrion found it really attractive on her when she had that scowl playing with her lips, or that anger displayed in her angled eyebrows, or that scolding glint in her eyes, or the way her blonde hair formed a curtain of shadows that only enhanced every single feature.

Or even, as Svrion realized he had the time to notice now, the glow her skin had when the fire danced upon it. In conclusion, she looked very pretty even though she was scolding him out of relief or anger. And she was worried sick over him, however she showed it. And had always been a cool girl, someone different. Svrion's own Dark Magician Girl.

"Cy-," Svrion tried to interrupt, but Cy quickly shook her head and proceeded to go on about how she had been _so_ ignorant of society and blah, blah, blah! Okay, fine. Svrion _had_ to shut her up, a way in which she was sure to be left speechless.

He wasn't sure where he had gotten the energy to move his arm, but somehow it had found its way up behind her neck and had gotten the strength to pull her forward until Svrion had captured her lips with his own. It was a soft, passionate kiss that totally turned the world upside down. Everything flew away from Cy's mind, all her problems, all her mistakes, all her worries, until all she thought about was Svrion being so close to her. In the end, she was the one that pulled away.

"Why?" she asked, bluntly. Svrion shrugged, realizing that her hands had snaked their way down to his waist.

"I like you." Cy didn't know what to do. She felt something she hadn't felt before. A surge of energy that seemed to pulse, like an indication of the bond she had formed between Svrion. She considered kissing him again, but suddenly the shield in front of her burst into blue sparks that shattered her present fantasy.

"I think we were getting a little too comfortable back there," Randren said, faint redness in his cheeks showing that he had watched that little scene. Or it was the heat, but he had watched Cy and Svrion get…_further acquainted_. Cy scowled.

"Cy!" Hufanse shouted, quickly dodging an attack to try to get toward her. However, another warrior shot out a blast that streaked directly in front of him. He stopped in his tracks.

"Stay back!" Cy cried, turning back to Randren. That's when she noticed one of two things. First, she realized he had drawn his sword and was coming towards her. Second, she felt the pulse within her grow stronger, bringing up a point that she had forgotten for a while.

_Magic Sword. I never saw if it worked_. Randren raised his sword, its aura shining a bright blue. He brought it up over his head just as it started to glow red.

"He's using his most powerful attack!" Aundren warned, trying to get past the battle to her.

"No! Cy!" Hufanse shouted. The two rushed away from their battle and started sprinting towards Cy. They weren't going to make it. Randren brought down the sword and struck it across the earth, creating a column of purple light that rushed towards Cy, destroying the earth underneath it. If Cy hadn't felt that sudden pulse grow stronger within her, she would have screamed and allowed herself to be wiped away. But instead, she held out her hand.

"Magic…Sword…_Counter Shield!_" In a split second, everything around her turned blue and faint as the only thing she felt was the rush of the column wind and the deafening roar of death all around her. Suddenly, she felt the cool metal hilt against her palm, and the pulse urged her to swing with all her might. Everything grew black and quiet.

Unexpectedly, a giant blast of air followed by a streak of orange sliced through the blackness. The surroundings became visible again. When Cy came to her senses, she was holding a sword. The column of light had vanished and Randren was left panting on the opposite side of the clearing, his sword lying broken to the side. Hufanse and Aundren reached Cy just in time to catch her as she crumpled to the ground.

"What was that?" Hufanse asked, helping Cy back on her feet. She dropped the sword and Aundren tried to pick it up. With a hiss, he recoiled as it burned him.

"I don't recognize this spell. I have had some practice battles with Svrion, but I suppose he was not quite strong enough to issue such an attack. I cannot place where Cy got so much power."

"I don't know either," Cy admitted, getting up and brushing off her outfit. She turned to look at Hufanse and Aundren. "It just…happened…I didn't even mean to say Counter Shield. Something just took over my body and said it for me…" The three of them looked at each other, wondering what had just happened. This silent pondering was soon interrupted by a shriek.

"Celton!" Cy screamed, spinning around as she realized what had happened. In Hufanse and Aundren's absence, the five Dark warriors had surrounded Celton and spelled a magic net of black energy over him. It drained him of energy until Harsh stepped in and blasted him with a final blow. With no strength, Celton had crumpled to the ground.

Cy, Hufanse, and Aundren tried to rush over to his rescue but it was too late. Harsh and the other Lords took out flutes and blew the lowest note. The harsh sound resonated throughout the clearing. It made the three sink to their knees and attempt to block out the sea of echoes that resonated through the forest, intensified by the trees.

A blast of wind soon followed as seven pairs of wings entered the clearing, along with them the ferocious might of seven Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"Oh no! Celton no!" Cy shielded her eyes as leaves were snatched from their branches, turning into harmful blades as the wind caused them to slice through the air. Hufanse, Aundren, and Cy struggled to see what was going on, but the leaves and wind made it near impossible to uncover their eyes. Thinking quickly, Hufanse conjured up another shield. From behind its magic window, the three of them watched in horror as the warriors mounted six Dragons.

"So long!" Randren called in triumph as he loaded the unconscious Celton onto the back of his mount. Harsh took up the hurt warrior. The lone dragon picked up the injured one and in a moment, they vanished in a flurry of diamond sparks.

"**_Celton! No!_**" Though the coast was still not clear, Cy burst out from behind the shield just as the wind rose up in one final assault. It wasn't clear if she had screamed or not, but as the blast died down, Cy crumpled to the ground unconscious.


	11. To the Rescue! Part 2

Disclaimer: I…do…not…own…CHEESE! Just kidding, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Now go bother someone else.

Chapter 11: To the Rescue! Part 2

A rush of light met Cy's view as she slowly moaned and opened her eyes. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy of trees that had at night created the illusion of a starless sky. Now, amidst their tightly knit leaves, a large patch of bright light shone through. Cy realized a hole as large as a Dragon had been blasted through.

_A hole as large as a Dragon…_

Cy sat up, her breath quickening. She looked around her. As vague memories of the previous day's battle entered her mind, she tried to find her friends. The battlefield was now a charred black section of the earth that quickly faded into dense bushes and trees. The morning light had brought out a few creatures from their homes and the scene was once again alive with small animals that started searching for lunch. The light danced upon bright flowers and vivid green leaves as it left not a corner untouched. Cy closed her eyes and smelled in the fresh scent of the different fruits that hung bountifully on the outstretched branches of the plants.

Suddenly the voices of two men caught her ears. Cautiously, she struggled to her feet and supported herself by leaning on the tree trunk behind her. As she looked around, only the streams of sunlight around the dense trees were clear in her view. After straining to hear anything else, she caught a faint spark in the corner of her eye. She pushed herself a little further and kept only a few fingers still touching the tree. When she was assured she could support herself, she slowly tiptoed through the maze of roots that covered the forest floor.

"Celton?" She called out into the forest, her voice shaking. "Hufanse? Aundren… Svrion?" She made her way toward the section of the woods where she saw the flicker of light. She began to wonder where the others were. The only sounds she heard at the moment were her soft footsteps mixed with the occasional snap of a twig and her breathing. She felt really alone.

"Are you positive it shall taste good?" Cy whipped around, recognizing Aundren's voice immediately.

"Aundren!" she called out. "Hufanse!"

"She's awake!" Footsteps and rustling leaves announced that Hufanse and Aundren were coming to the rescue. Sure enough, the pushed back a dense curtain of branches to reveal to Cy their makeshift camp.

"I was so worried," Cy sighed, running over to them and nearly falling into Hufanse's arms. "What are you two doing?"

"Well… Hufanse was apparently trying to make some sort of breakfast but I unfortunately must admit that the only idea he was able to produce ended up in flames, quite literally." Hufanse grinned sheepishly.

"I thought I would see if berries worked the same as marshmallows…" Cy chuckled at Hufanse's excuse.

"Evidently berries in this forest are too flammable for that purpose." Cy shook her head and took Hufanse and Aundren back to the fire that had been left dying. Suddenly, something dawned on her.

"Celton! Where's Celton?" Hufanse and Aundren looked at each other. Cy looked at each of them in turn, searching their eyes for an answer. Since her sudden unconsciousness last night, she had not been able to remember what had happened in great detail.

"Sit down, and we'll tell you." Hufanse took her hand and led her to a clear patch of space next to the burned sticks used for the campfire. Aundren sat down next to the two of them as well.

"Do you remember we were attacked last night?" Hufanse started softly. "Those warriors from the Dark Kingdom and the Dragons? Do you remember them?"

"Yes… it is coming back to me now. Harsh and Randren, your brothers. They were there too. One of the Dragons was hurt, and a warrior had fallen as well. And then we had a fight. Svrion was injured – oh, oh no! Where's Svrion… is he okay?"

"Calm down. He's fine." Hufanse pointed to a tree a little distance away where Svrion was sleeping, most of his Dark Magician outfit sprawled around him. He had a few bruises where the bullet spell had made contact with his skin through the protection of the armor. "We let him sleep because he has had some major recovery from that attack. It hit a weak spot in his protection." Cy nodded.

"Okay, continue about Celton."

"Yes, as I was saying, those warriors and Dragons had a huge fight with us. In the end, you did something the two of us couldn't understand."

"You conjured up some sort of sword of unimaginable strength, and the power needed by that attack would have only been possible with a hundred times your energy. How you obtained that energy, we do not know."

"Anyway, as we got distracted and came to help you, your brother Celton was surrounded by the other warriors and captured. The warriors left just as you lost conscious. We do not know where they have taken your brother." Hufanse looked at Aundren as the Dragon Master Knight quickly shook his head to stop the other from continuing his story. Cy was already devastated.

"Oh no! The Dark Kingdom's captured him!" she cried, burying her head in her hands. "And it's my fault! What will they do to him?"

"Nothing," Aundren lied, hoping to keep Cy's worries down. "They will keep him safe at least until the attack is complete. Don't worry!" Hufanse looked at Aundren with a confused look, but the Knight only nodded seriously before turned his attention back on Cy.

"Here, this will make you feel better. Since Hufanse ruined the last of our collected berries, I suggest you go bring some more. If you take a step or two to our right, you will see a very big berry tree. A couple of trips should be enough to get a sufficient amount of berries. Hufanse and I will get something to drink. Keep an eye on Svrion too, will you?" Cy nodded and promptly got up to do her chore. As soon as she was out of earshot, Hufanse turned to Aundren who was already ready with an explanation for the obvious question.

"Hufanse, whatever we do, we must not tell Cy of the torture they might put Celton through. They will most likely kill him, but Cy cannot be told or it would devastate her far beyond her state now." Hufanse sighed.

"I just don't want to lie to her, and then see the expression on her face if we are too late." Aundren shook his head.

"We will notbe too late."

………

"Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six…" Cy grimaced as she held one berry up to the light. It was barely a millimeter wide. _By the time I finish picking for the five of us, it'll be noon…_

_…Wait; there are only four of us now. Oh Celton! What have I done? _Cy sniffled and gathered up some more berries. When she had gathered all she could possible hold in her hand, she took it back to the campsite. This time, Aundren was ready with a basket made from large leaves and twigs. Again when Cy went back to the tree, it did take longer, but she was sure she had gotten all the berries she needed.

On the way back, basket in one arm and the other carelessly brushing over the different plants, Cy took a path around the campsite so she could go see Svrion. He was still lying down, though he had shifted from when Cy had last seen him and his hands were now clasped over his stomach.

"Hungry?" Svrion opened one eye and moaned. Cy shook his shoulders until he yelled and pushed her hands away.

"Okay, okay, I'm fine!" he protested, groaning and sitting up a little straighter. Cy reached into her basket and pulled out a handful of the small berries.

"You want some?" Svrion shrugged and opened his mouth wide like a toddler waiting for his food to come to the rescue on a little vehicle that could fly right into his throat. Cy laughed and threw some berries through Svrion's open mouth. Not expecting this, Svrion coughed and sputtered as some managed to slide right down his throat.

Cy giggled. Svrion no longer looked like a Dark Magician-to-be in only his pants and sweater. Without his purple armor, he looked like a normal teenager anyone could find in the Mortal Realm. Now, with him choking and aiming for a comeback, he looked like he couldn't be any more out of place than he already seemed on this adventure.

"What are you staring at?" Svrion demanded, grabbing a bunch of berries from the basket and throwing it at Cy. She gasped, looking away and shielding herself as the berries landed in her hair and dress.

"That's not fair!" she grabbed a handful and threw it back, and that started the whole war. When the basket was finally emptied, most of the berries had not been successful in finding their way to the stomachs of the teenagers. Instead, they lay splattered on the ground or lodged in Cy's wavy blonde hair. Also, Svrion and Cy looked at their hands and laughed as they saw it was painted with berry juice.

"Yummy!" Svrion liked off his hands and dried them on the grass around him.

"Svrion, gross!" Cy tried to get up but Svrion quickly grabbed her wrist, kissing the inside of her hand. He licked his lips.

"Yours has even more," he said and Cy pushed him back. Then, she sat down on his lap and shook her head.

"You are so weird. Oh my gosh, look at your face!" Cy ran her hand down his cheek and pulled back to reveal more splattered berries. Svrion frowned and rubbed his hands around his face.

"Is it all gone?" Cy grinned mischievously.

"No, you missed a spot!" As Svrion put on a questioning look and tried to feel around, Cy bent over and kissed his lips briefly. Then she pulled back and licked her own.

"Delicious…" Svrion laughed as he caught what she meant. The two stared at each other happily for a few moments, eyes sparkling from their kiss, when Hufanse's voice suddenly penetrated the air.

"Hey Cy! We're hungry! Did you finish picking those darn berries?" Cy and Svrion glanced worriedly at the empty basket.

"Uh…oops!"

………

Half an hour later, the berries were picked and eaten. Just for the fun of it, Hufanse lit the campfire and the four of them gathered around it. However, the streaming sunlight around them was too bright for them to pretend it was dark. Plus, small animals had started to play all around them, and the liveliness of their surrounding could not be confused with the haunting silence of a midnight forest.

"Okay, now we must make a plan… what is our next move?" Svrion started the discussion. For a moment, only silence met his query. Hufanse, Aundren, and Cy were all deep in thought. They had come too far to turn back, and Celton was captured. Not only that, but they all had heard the news: the Dark Kingdom was preparing for war. This threat could not be concealed any longer. They had to get up and fight.

"Well, we must remember we have two things to do," Cy answered. "Rescue Celton and stop the threat of war. Neither is easy."

"If we were to prioritize, I would suggest Celton would be the obvious first choice. His safety lies in our hands, and furthermore, we know little of the Dark Kingdom's plans and therefore cannot think of a strategy to beat them."

"True, Aundren, rescuing my brother would be the first choice. But I'm not so sure we know nothing of their plan. Let's see… yesterday we found out they meant to surprise attack us with Dragons. They probably still have a similar plan."

"Then how do we beat them?" Svrion interrupted. "How can the four of us defeat an army of Dragons? What do we even know about them?"

"I doubt my flute is enough to control them," Hufanse put in. "It's not powerful enough…"

"Wait a minute!" Cy suddenly cried. "Something is coming back to me… something Randren said… oh, if only I could remember!" Cy closed her eyes and tried to remember what the Dragon Master Knight had said before the battle scene last night.

_If you think this a pleasant family reunion, you are wrong. I'm here to wipe out the meager resistance you offer now so we may proceed to our plan. Already, you have injured one of my Lords and put his Dragon out of play. And you've destroyed that Flute, but it does not matter. First of all, the bond we share with our Dragons is what really controls them. Second, the Master Flute still lives, radiating its power throughout the land. Also, fear not, we still have seven Dragons and six more strong men where that came from_

"That's it!" Cy said, smiling. "_Second, the Master Flute still lives, radiating its power throughout the land_. Hufanse, Aundren…do you guys know what that is?"

"Somewhat," Hufanse shrugged. "We touched upon it in Dragon School, but really only the more High Ranked Dragon Lords actually are experts. All I know is that it is a special version of the flute I carry, sealed away in the Castle of Dark Illusions."

"Isn't that a prison shared by both Kingdoms?" Svrion asked.

"Well, true, it is," Aundren replied. "And of course, both Kingdoms have agreed to keep the Castle neutral and all areas accessible by either side. However, the Dark Kingdom is known for its trickery. Little is taught in school, but I do know that the Dark Kingdom possesses a section of the Castle not known to exist by most people. It is there that the Flute is hidden."

"The flute is a lot more powerful than the one most of us Lord of Dragons carry. We were taught that it is the ultimate controller of all the Dragons, and if destroyed, could devastate the army. That is why we 'swore' to keep this info a secret."

"That solves the problem we have for the moment, then," Cy explained. "If we can destroy that flute, the Dragons will go haywire, and both Kingdoms will once again by equal in power. In fact, the Dark Kingdom will be weakened and the Light Kingdom will have a chance to end this war once and for all."

"I think the battle has messed up your brain a little," Svrion said. "Is it reasonable for us to walk into the Castle of Dark Illusions, find a secret area of the Castle that even the Light Kingdom patrollers aren't even aware of, sneak out the Flute, destroy it, and then go back home all in one piece."

"Well, did you think it was possible to get out of the Labyrinth alive?" Cy countered. "Think about it, no one said it was easy, but we have to do it. No one knows it yet, but the Light Kingdom is counting on us." Cy looked at each of the others across the flames of the campfire. Aundren was deeply contemplating the situation, the light dancing in unique patterns around his furrowed eyebrows and dark brown hair. Hufanse shrugged his cape back and looked at Svrion, who seemed most thoughtful.

"I suppose that is what we should do then…" Svrion concluded. "I think it would be best if we split into two groups. Aundren and Hufanse know most about the Dark Kingdom and can blend in well. They should be the ones to go there and get information about Celton. I'm sure he'll be held near the castle. They wouldn't want anyone who has the information we do to get out of their sight. As for Cy and me, we will go into the Castle of Dark Illusions. I have seen a map and I know where it is."

"I suppose we should start immediately," Aundren reasoned, getting up and smoothing down his outfit. "The sooner we are able to rescue Celton, the sooner we will be able to assure his safety." The others got up as well, realizing the urgency of the situation.

"We should not linger here in this forest any longer. Aundren… Hufanse… I wish the two of you luck in finding my brother."

"And I wish you two more luck in finding that flute. It will be a toughie, but you, Cy, can pull through… oh, and you too, Svrion." Hufanse kissed Cy's hand and she blushed. Svrion rolled his eyes.

"Well," he said. "We part ways… again. Hopefully this won't turn out like the Labyrinth episodes." Cy laughed nervously.

"Hopefully…" she added, and then out of the blue, gave both Aundren and Hufanse a hug. Svrion joined in and the four stood in a tight embrace for several minutes. Then, when the four were certain that their goodbyes were exchanged, they let go of each other and back up to their own paths.

"Think about this," Cy called as she and Svrion headed to the right. "Next time we meet, the war will be over!"

"We do hope your words come true!" Aundren called back, he and Hufanse already speeding down the path on the left. "Good luck! Farewell!" Within minutes, the two groups were already a considerable distance apart. And at the moment of their parting, the sky began to darken with clouds.


	12. Rescuing Celton! Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or my own promises for that matter, since I never seem to update on time.

Chapter 12: Rescuing Celton! Part 1

"Okay, so what was your plan again?" Hufanse asked for the millionth time. Again, the response he received was a soft sigh from his friend, Aundren. The two had nearly reached the end of the forest, and the skies were dark and cloudy. It was unclear whether it was still morning or evening, but they couldn't have been walking for too long.

"I have told you countless times already, must you still be unclear about our intentions? I suggested that we blend in and not ask anybody the whereabouts of Celton until we are assured that nothing has been changed since we departed and no charges of any sort have been set against us." The Knight looked over and waited for the Lord's nod of approval.

"Right. Little attention, no distraction, got it. Just go with the flow, blend with the crowd. I can do that."

"You must, or we shall be in major trouble." The two walked silently. Finally, they came to the edge of the hill that rose slightly before dropping into the road. As they had last seen it, the kingdom was still as busy as ever. At first, everything looked like any other kingdom. Families were out in the market buying their goods. Men hung around in little groups talking about the war while their wives bargained with the salesmen. Children scampered between the legs of customers, chasing each other eagerly with no regard to their surroundings.

However, past all the townspeople and the market that stood apart from the neatly packed houses, Aundren and Hufanse noticed the signs of war. Houses were starting to look more secure, with windows ready to be barred shut and the Dragon Shields cleaned if it was necessary to deflect blasts from Dragon creatures. The men who did not stand idly in the market were outside their doorsteps, polishing their swords while their wives mended their soldier uniforms. Despite the initial innocence, the two former Dark Kingdom residents could smell the fear and concern the people had. No doubt that was the only topic of discussion in these parts.

"Like I said," Aundren repeated one last time, "do not seem out of place. We look like citizens, and we shall act like citizens. Whatever happens, stay by my side and do not do anything." The two young men walked down the road into the first stretches of the market. By keeping their heads low and pretending to be in deep conversation, they avoided the attention of many salesmen. As they got into the crowded section of the market, they started to be a little less cautious and tried to catch snippets of conversation.

"What do you think the Light Kingdom is planning?"

"A secret group was sent out just a while back."

"How have the spies been doing?" Aundren looked at Hufanse and shook his head. Nothing he heard was of any use to them. As Aundren turned in different directions as if pretending to look for someone, he suddenly felt the Lord of Dragons tense at his side. Worried that something might be wrong, he quickly searched his mind for a spell he could use.

"It's not that," Hufanse whispered, sensing Aundren's worry. "Look." Aundren turned his head. Hufanse motioned with a quick flick of his own to a stall. Aundren squinted. All he saw was a salesperson selling apples. Nothing special there. He whispered in confusion to his friend.

"No, the girl!" Hufanse hissed. Aundren slapped his forehead.

"For Ra's sake, Hufanse. I thought you would acquire some sense by now. We are not here to catch flitting words with a pretty lady…" Aundren stopped, for two things had suddenly caught his attention that whisked his words away.

The first of them being that pretty lady, because she turned out to be more than pretty. She was beautiful and even more than that if there was a word to describe it. Probably the most striking feature she possessed were her bright red curls that floated delicately around her face and brushed a little passed her shoulders. Her eyes, even at such a distance, glowed a bright, entrancing green. She wore a simple blue dress that outlined her figure beautifully, and at her wrist hung a basket swinging delicately as its owner gently set in red apples.

The second thing that caught Aundren's attention was, at that moment, he had heard what he had been dying to hear.

"I heard that Dark Magician prisoner they mentioned earlier. They're going to put him in the Dragon Chamber."

_Dragon Chamber_ Aundren thought, and his heart did a little flip. Whether it was because of the scary news or that young woman, he did not know.

"Can we talk to her?" Hufanse pleaded, though he did not wait for an answer. He went right ahead. Aundren stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide open from both situations. Finally, he shook his head and tried to identify the speaker. It was too late. Any men around him had walked away and he was left alone in the street.

"Hufanse!" he cried softly, but his friend was already tapping the young woman on the shoulder as she walked away. She turned around in a flurry of curls and only then did Hufanse realize what he was doing.

"Oh…er…um…hi…um…hello." Luckily, Aundren had caught up with him. It was too late to correct the error, so he hastily decided they would have to take a chance with her.

"Hello. Sorry if we've disturbed you, Miss, but we have an important question. Have you heard of the Dark Magician that was taken to the Dragon Chamber?" Hufanse gave Aundren a confused look, but Aundren shrugged it away. The young woman looked between the two of them for a moment as if judging what they were after.

"Yes…" she finally said slowly, sounding a little hesitant. "Why yes I did… you don't look like no guys I've met recently." Aundren bit his lip.

"We haven't been out much," he said, looking around. Suddenly, he became conscious of all the citizen's mutteringsbehind him. The marketplace was dark enough now that the streetlights had been turned on, and more people had come out to enjoy what seemed like the evening because of the darkness and the cool air.

"I see." The young woman looked out into the crowd. "Are you two loyal to the Dark Crown?" Hufanse and Aundren looked at each other before looking at the young woman.

"Loyal…loyal?" Hufanse stuttered.

"I ain't checking on you or nothing because I'm going to turn you two in. I'm just asking."

"You can't say we are loyal," Hufanse admitted.

"Well, I ain't either. There's some of us still with a sane mind I see. Well, the prisoner obviously is of the other Kingdom.What are you planning to do with him?" Aundren nodded to Hufanse. The duo calmed down a little before explaining. They had found a safe territory.

"Well…he's our friend," Hufanse explained. The woman nodded her head. "We were fighting some Dark Kingdom warriors and he was captured."

"Keep your voice low," the woman cautioned, looking around. She flicked her head towards the wall of a building to signal to them that they were to follow her there. As the two of them walked away from earshot of the townspeople, Hufanse continued.

"As I was saying, he's our friend that was captured. We were hoping that you might know where that Dragon Chamber or whatever is. Then, maybe you could take us there?" The young woman thought about the request for a moment, biting her upper lip.

"Well… it ain't gonna be a problem for me to find your friend," she said, and immediately Hufanse and Aundren cried out injoy. "However…" The duo quieted down, worriedly glancing at their new friend. "However… there are a couple problems. First of all, how in Slifer's name are we gonna get him out of that Chamber, and two, what if I get caught? I'm…well, it's too dangerous to say it here. But, I have an important role to play in something, and the King and Queen could weed a lot out of me if they needed to."

"I assure you, we shall try to succeed in rescuing our friend in the safest way possible. Hufanse and I are willing to do anything, and we will protect you in case any harm comes in your way. Please, you must do this for us!" The youngwoman shrugged her shoulders, sending her curls bouncing around her face. To remedy this, she brought up her hand and used her slender fingers to tuck her bright red curls behind her ear. Hufanse and Aundren endured the silence patiently. They didn't attempt to make a sound in case it made her change her mind.

_Please, I pray to the Gods, let her agree to our request. Cy has high hopes in that we will achieve what we intend to do and save Celton. _

_Oh Gods! Please let her say yes. If she doesn't, I'll be forced to hate her forever and she has such a pretty face. Forgive me Cy, but you have Svrion anyway. _

"I'll do it!" the young woman exclaimed suddenly, and only then did Hufanse and Aundren realize they had beenholding their breaths, keeping their eyes clenched as tightly as their fists. They relaxed at the reassuring news.

"Thank you so much, we'll make it up to you if we can!"

"We better hurry, the sooner the better. I'm afraid they've already done enough damage to your friend as it is. I've heard nasty reports so this ain't gonna be easy, and we've gotta get through a whole load of security." The three of them started to pick up the pace and walked down a path that the young woman led them on. She suddenly realized her full basket of apples. "Say, do y'all think we can use these?"

………

"In you go, you pathetic fool!" A rough shove and a kick accompanied this command and the two guards threw the bleeding young Dark Magician into the Chamber. Celton rolled over a few times before coming to a halt, his eyes painfully squeezed shut and various cuts and bruises dripping in blood. His uniform was torn and ragged, as if he had been wearing itthrough ten years of hard toil. He definitely looked pathetic in this state, and yet the two guards had no mercy.

One was a Witty Phantom, tall and yellow-haired by the name of Sinth. In contrast to the injured Light Kingdom resident on the floor, his purple suit didn't even have a crease on it. However, his white gloves where stained from when he hadgripped Celton's bloody arm. In disgust, he ripped the articles of clothing off and threw them to the ground. Then, as if using them as a symbol for his prisoner, helifted his polished black boots and crushed the fabric with his heel. Celton coughed and sputtered before helplessly looking up at him.

Another guard, a Lord of Dragons, followed closely. He smirked at Celton sprawled on the floor and eyed Sinth.

"Figure out if he knows anything, if not, then give word to unleash the Dragons."

"Yes, Harsh, Sir." With a sinister chuckle, the Lord spun on his heel and exited as his cape flowed out behind him. The double doors slid closed with a hiss, catching Celton's attention. With a grunt, he opened his eyes more to look around.

He found himself in a tall room colored an eerie blue, the only light coming from the small windows high in the ceiling painting the floor in long shadows. The floor was made of cold stone and all along its length ran several long gashes from whatwere unmistakably Dragon blasts. Celton groaned at this. Even after the brutal beatings, he still retained enough sense to know where he was. The infamous Dragon Chamber.

"Well, well, who do we have here? A young spy, I presume." Celton made a move to sit up, but the Witty Phantomswiftly put his toe upon the Magician's shoulder and roughly pushed him to the floor. "What is your business?"

"Nothing!" Celton replied, coughing up some blood in the process. He could not even begin to count how many broken bones he must have had. Only a good Healing Charm could help him now, and unless Hufanse and Aundren found him, that would be impossible to obtain.

"That's a lie," Sinth sneered, oblivious to the condition his victim was in. He kicked Celton's side, painfully making his prisoner roll over and moan. "Tell me the truth, did you or did you not hear anything about the plans of our Kingdom?"

"I'm…telling you…I heard…nothing…honest…I am no…spy." Celton's answer received another sharp kick aimedtowards his chest. The pain was almost unbearable now. Sinth realized that his victim would not stay conscious much longer. He got down on his knees, pulling Celton up close to his face by his collar.

"I'm warning you," he hissed. "And all you other Ra-damned spies. If you Light Kingdom idiots think you are going to win this war, think again. The Dark will be victorious, and you will all pay with your lives. The women and children too! Now, I've had enough with you. Erkth and Mitirk will finish the rest."

"Erkth…Mit…Mitirk?"

"Yes…you'll see soon." Celton slightly whimpered as Sinth roughly pushed him away. He got up and swiftly made for the doors. They opened as he neared them. Before exiting, he took one final look at Celton. "You are going to wish you were never born, boy." Before another second passed, he was gone.

A long silence followed. Celton slowly mustered enough strength to sit up at least. He glanced around the Chamber for a longer time. The only ways out were the double doors and another much larger gate on his left. Celton raised his eyebrows. Surely, as he had glanced past them, the gate had opened slightly.

Frantically looking around, he realized the Chamber lacked any hiding places. Whenever danger advanced upon him, he would have no shelter at all.

"Oh no!" Celton whispered to himself, listening to his voice bounce upon the walls. "There's no way out! I'm trapped!" He looked back at the large gate. Sure enough, it was opening, no mistake about it. Celton felt an uneasy feeling stir in his chest. He struggled to crawl over to the other doors, but it was a slow process seeing as every part of his body was vibrating in pain.

_I've got to get out of here! I can't let these Dragons kill me. Cy will be devastated, and Renalyn too! How I wish I could have seen her one last time, smiling and laughing as she always seems to be. Renalyn…what will she say when she figures out I died here, and she had no idea I even left her? _Celton closed his eyes, trying to picture his girlfriend's face. However, a wave of pain swept his concentration away. When he opened his eyes, the gates were open. A large gaping hole met his vision. Celton's heart leapt to his throat.

Slowly, out of the endless black, a shadowy figure approached. It was a large beast, with a wingspan that stretched to either end of the Chamber and powerful claws that looked as sharp as daggers even in the shadows. Behind it, another large beast followed, one more massive body with a long, curved neck attached to a ferocious head gleaming with bright, blue eyes.

"Erkth…Mitirk…" gasped Celton, realizing the meaning of Sinth's words. The two Blue-Eyes White Dragons looked around the Chamber for their prey. Celton weakly backed up. If he could only reach the doors…

Suddenly, the arm he had been using to support himself gave away. With a loud thump he fell backwards on the stone floor, cursing himself immediately. Both the Dragons immediately snapped their heads towards him. The glint in their sapphire eyes told the tale – they had seen him.

"Renalyn…Cy… forgive me!" Celton knew there was no point in running. He was not in any shape to get anywhere quickly. He could only watch in horror as the two immense creatures snapped their jaws hungrily and closed the distance between him.


	13. Saving the Light Kingdom! Part 1

Disclaimer: My policy on Yu-Gi-Oh: I no own, you no sue!

Chapter 13: Saving the Light Kingdom! Part 1

Cy and Svrion walked through the forest hand in hand, Cy resting her head lightly on Svrion's shoulder, who smiled and looked down at her. It was such a sweet moment, the tall trees enclosing them with the _tweet tweet_ of songbirds and the rustle of the wind-dancing leaves that accompanied the crunching of their footsteps upon the layer of leaves and twigs. The darkening sky seemed greatly out of place compared to the melody of the forest and the sweet smell of all the different plants mixed together.

"How much longer?" Cy whispered lightly, filling in the obvious absence of human voices.

"Well, if we keep going," Svrion replied, "We'll reach the edge of the forest on the side that leads right to thetown underneath the Castle. I heard from my great… well, Grandfather - for short - that every few hours the guards at the Castle change and fly down. Only when the next guards take the aircraft up to the Castle we can get up there since it is no tourist spot. So, we'll have to go to the town and _blend in_ till then. We can't go there looking like Dark Magicians…that wouldn't get such a good response."

"So… is this part of the Dark Kingdom we are going to?"

"Yeah… it's a small section called Shadow Town. My Grandfather talks about it all the time, along with showing me maps and stuff. It's nice to have a Dark Sage in the family."

Once again, the two lapsed into silence as they headedfor Shadow Town. Cy had never heard of the place. She always had seen the Realm as split between two Kingdoms, the Dark and the Light, with a shadowy forest to separate the two. And of course, she knew the Castle of Dark Illusions that floated mysteriously up in the sky, just a little off of the border between the two Kingdoms. Cy didn't know of any divisions of either Kingdom. With a shrug, she let the thought slip away. She didn't care what Shadow Town was. As long as they got there in one piece, everything would be fine.

However, getting there in one piece meant that they had to cross the many patrollers that constantly kept watch over the edge of the Town. Cy and Svrion didn't even notice they were there until one nearly crossed their path. Luckily, Svrion pushed Cy behind the trees just as the Witty Phantom strolled past, whistling a happy tune. The two of them watched him go for a few seconds before Svrion got an idea. Reaching up to the nearest tree, he swiftly cracked off a tree branch. The subtle sound caught the Phantom's attention; after all, he did have large ears. He looked from side to side.

"Who is that?" he asked into the dense trees. "Lance…is that you?" He looked around for a sign from his partner. Meanwhile, Svrion crept up behind the trees. When the Witty Phantom turned around, he whacked him behind the neck with the branch. With a sharp thud, the Phantom fell to the forest ground.

"Hey, dude, why'd ya call me?" Svrion turned around, searching for the source of the voice. Apparently, that Lance, or whatever the name of the unconscious patroller's partner was, had heard his friend's call. He looked at the tree near Cy to check if she was still where he had told her to stay. Figures, she wasn't.

"Crap, the guy's coming!" he muttered as he made his way back to the tree with great haste. Of course, Cy was safe. She was trying to reach for one of the branches in a nearby tree, like Svrion had, to pull it off. Unfortunately, she was a good foot too short of her goal.

"Oh Ra, why am I always the short one?" she sighed. She jumped one more time and actually caught the branch. However, it didn't snap off. She just hung there like an idiot, blinking and looking up at her hand that desperately grasped the end of the branch. Before she could put more force into her pull, she heard footsteps. On the other side of the tree, a Witty Phantom appeared, searching around the brush for his friend. An idea crawled into Cy's mind. With a little grin, she planned on how to use the situation to her advantage.

Just when the Phantom reached the tree, Cy gave a shout that slightly resembled a war cry. Startled, the spy turned just in time to see Cy fly around the trunk and kick out with her boots. With a thud that matched his partner, the Witty Phantom fell back first onto the floor. However, this maneuver had exerted too much force on the branch Cy had been holding. It snapped, followed by the third thud as Cy also fell on her back.

"Cy! Was that you?"

"Svrion!" Not wanting to look like a fool, Cy quickly got up and brushed down her outfit. She placed her leg on the Phantom's chest just as Svrion came into view, holding up the branch with a threatening expression.

"Girl power!" Cy cheered as she motioned to the fallen patroller, and Svrion sighed with relief. Unfortunately, the excitement wasn't over yet. The fallen Phantom hadn't gotten quite as knocked out as Cy had expected. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her ankle.

"Wow!" she cried out with surprise. However, Svrion was ready.

"Dark Magic Attack!" _Mind crush!_ The Phantom fell back, now definitely without the ability to wake up for a couple of hours, and with a gigantic headache too.

"Now what?" Cy asked as Svrion came back shortly with the other patroller dragging behind him. The two looked down upon the fruit of their short fight.

"I think we found our disguises," Svrion said.

"We have to wear that?" Cy cried incredulously. "Excuse me, but you've seen my size. I doubt I'm going to fit into that… plus, we won't blend in. Your purple hair will immediately rule you out. Unless, you can chop it off or something."

"No way!" Svrion protested.

"It was just an idea…" Cy said defensively. "No need to go crazy about it. We'll just have to think of something else…like magic. Do you know a spell that can make you blonde?"

"Yeah, one that wipes out my brains."

"**_That was not very funny!_**"

"I'm just kidding! Okay, okay, sorry…I take back my joke. I just couldn't resist."

"Now I'm thinking we _should_ just chop off your hair." Svrion grinned foolishly, backing up.

"Why don't we just wear the suits and then decide?" Cy scowled but agreed.

"But you have to be the one to undress them…bring the suit over to me when you're done. I'm standing over there!" Cy pointed to section of the forest behind a set of large trees.

"Careful…" Svrion warned as he watched her skip behind the branches. He smiled.

_So blonde jokes **do **get on her nerves. Figures… she is blonde, sometimes in more ways than one…_

A few minutes later, after a bunch of rustling and grunting, Svrion finally presented Cy with one pair of the Witty Phantoms' disguise.

"Here, I think this is the smaller one."

"Thanks…though I still doubt it will fit. Well, maybe there's some hope." The two split to opposite sides of the forest to change, wary of any other Phantoms that might be lurking by. Luckily, it seemed those two patrollers had been the only ones in this section of the forest.

Cy contemplated whether to take off her outfit or not. Her mother had made it, which made it special. The fact that it was probably the only outfit of its kind in the Realm made it really special. And the fact that Cy liked it made it definitely even more special. She couldn't abandon it in the middle of the forest.

_Hm…you know what? If I wear the suit on top of it, maybe I actually might look a little muscular. I can give it a shot…_

Cy put on the outfit one piece at a time, starting with the blue collared shirt and the purple pants, followed by the coat of the same shade. She quickly did her tie, the knowledge of how to do so having mysterious origins, and slipped on the hat. She put on the white gloves over her own, thankful that her arms and hands were skinny enough to do so. Then, she smoothed the pant legs down so it covered her boots.

Sure, her shoulders looked freaky and the skirt on her outfit made her backside look really big, but she knew she definitely did not look as bad as certain Dark Magician trainers she knew. For some reason, Cy remembered a certain moment when she had accompanied her parents to Celton's school for Open House. There she met probably the freakiest teacher alive – Arkana. With a laugh, she concluded she probably looked a lot more like him now than she ever would have thought.

_Enough reminiscing_, _I now have a small problem – my Dark Magician "helmet". It's too big to stick in my dress… and I doubt Svrion has room. Oh well._

"Oops!" Cy turned.

"Svrion? What's the matter?" She made her way over to where she had heard his exclamation. Svrion was pretty much good to go. Cy giggled and blushed slightly. He looked so cute in that suit. The outfit made him look, well…

"Sexy…glad you're not a Witty Phantom every day. The population couldn't handle this." Svrion laughed as he turned around, revealing the problem.

"I untied the tie when I tried so hard to keep the tie tied. Now the tied tie is no longer tied, and no matter how I've tried, the tie won't get tied. I can't tie a tie, no matter how hard I try." Cy raised her eyebrows.

"Men and their issues…" She walked over to where Svrion held out the two ends of the tie with a pleading look. She reached up, quite a bit up, to even out the two ends. Then, in a quick process of twisting, overlapping, and knotting, the tie looked like it had never been untied.

"I can't tie a tie if I tried and you can tie a tie on your first try."

"It's not my first try," Cy explained, pointing to her own tie. "I just know how to tie a tie, you can too if you try."

"I tried…the tie won't tie. Now I'm tongue tied."

"Okay, we should stop now…" Cy stepped back to admire their work. Luckily, Svrion looked a lot better than she did, but that had been established long ago. For the final touch, Cy made Svrion bend down so she could fit the hat on his head. When he pulled back, she sighed softly.

"You look so handsome!" she gushed. She threw her arms around him and gave him a small peck on the check. Svrion smiled as he pulled down the brim of his hat so a shadow partly covered his face. Cy pretended to faint.

"Shall we go, my dear…um…sir…"

"Two problems…what are we going to do with our old clothes? And second, what about your hair? I know you look hotter as a purple-haired guy, but you need to get yellow hair."

"May I borrow yours?"

"Very funny?" Cy put a hand to her chin to think about it. Svrion looked up and saw that the clouds were starting to thicken. On top of that, he saw the aircraft leaving from the Castle that was clearly visible now that they were so close to Shadow Town.

"We don't have much time… we need to go now. It's getting dark too…" Svrion piled up his clothes and put headpiece on top. "Maybe this will be over soon, and we can actually retrieve these items before they are stolen. But no time. We must hurry!" Cy could sense the urgency in Svrion's voice. Apparently the aircrafts flew pretty fast. Swiftly created a ball of light in his hand, Svrion led Cy on the path that led out of the woods.

To Cy, it seemed like the forest went on forever. The sky was getting darker as more clouds poured in. The only color now was the bright yellow of Svrion's light that glowed much a shade like Cy's hair.

_Wait…that gives me an idea…_

The two reached the boundary of the forest. The trees quickly gave away to brown dirt as the first few buildings came into view. A little ahead, there was a large fence with a gate, and further inside that the aircraft had just landed. Svrion was about to extinguish his light, but Cy quickly took it from him.

"Take off your hat!" she whispered as she pulled and tugged the ball of light until it resembled a sheet of yellow fabric. Svrion complied and Cy pressed the hazy material over Svrion's hair until it covered every last purple-colored strand.

"You're crazy," Svrion muttered, not enjoying his shining new blonde wig very much. Cy clicked her tongue.

"Not quite as attractive, but good enough. You'll pass as a Witty Phantom. Now, let's hurry!" Svrion put his hat back on and the two ran towards the entrance. They slowed down as they reached the tall, black poles that signified the gate.

"Lance…Roy. You two are late! Your patrol time is over…you were supposed to be here half an hour ago." The guard at the gate was a Mysterious Puppeteer, and he did not look happy. Then again, all but his eyes were covered so there was a chance he hid a smile under that dark robe of his.

"Sorry," Svrion said, trying to change his voice so that it matched Roy's, the taller one. "It seems the shift of Lord of Dragons have returned."

"Yes…but the next pair of Lord of Dragons has not shown up yet. We cannot risk the Flute being up there unguarded for too long. The Castle's defense will not hold for too much time. I suggest you two go up there and keep watch until we can send proper guards."

"Talk about a chance happening!" Cy whispered.

"What is that?" the guard asked.

"I mean…" Cy deepened her voice. "I didn't count on that happening. We will see to it immediately." The Mysterious Puppeteer bowed and the two entered through the gate. The town looked a lot like any other town. However, there wasn't much activity out on the streets. It seemed the dark clouds had scared everyone back into their home. Only the Guard Center was buzzing, and that was only until the guards switched.

A couple of Witty Phantoms rushed past Cy and Svrion, waving. Apparently, they were the new patrollers. Cy and Svrion played along and waved back, both of them keeping their hats low over their eyes – Cy especially. They made their way over to the aircraft.

"Nice," Svrion commented as he let his hands brush over the surface of the slick aircraft. It was obvious it relied heavily on magic, hopefully one that the two of them didn't need to supply. The white surface gleamed from an unknown light as clouds did cover most of the sky. It wasn't as big as Svrion and Cy had thought when they had seen it from afar, but it definitely could hold them and more.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Cy swung herself over the side, landing gracefully next to the steering wheel. Svrion followed after her. They looked at the front of the craft. It had a wheel, but little else.

"Flying lessons, anyone?" Svrion queried to the air, touching the wheel. Suddenly, it started to glow a sickly black and the duo backtracked a few steps, wondering whether they should get off this strange transportation device. But soon, that option was long gone as the craft soared into the sky. Svrion realized the only thing he needed to do as a pilot was move the steering wheel in the direction of the castle. Everything else was controlled by the craft itself.

Cy was disappointed that there was no seating. She just stood there, hoping the aircraft wouldn't turn and that she wouldn't plummet over the side. Svrion stood next to her.

"We go to our doom!" Cy announced dramatically, hoping what she was saying was false. Svrion nodded.

"Hopefully not. After all, all we are doing is getting the Flute." The dark clouds started to gather near the Castle. Suddenly, a lightning bolt reached out and struck the floating fortress. Svrion cringed as Cy gasped. "Then again, it does look a little scary." As another lightning bolt struck, he mentally agreed that it was an understatement.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Cy assured him, only then realizing the speed of the aircraft. They would be at their destination in less than three minutes. Cy took a deep breath, wanting to believe her own words. Wanting Svrion to believe her words.

Suddenly, Svrion reached out and pulled Cy close to him, swallowing her in a great big hug. Cy didn't understand what was happening, and didn't even want to think about who was now in charge of the steering.

"I just want to say," Svrion mumbled from burying his face in her blonde hair, "that you've been the best thing that has happened to me on this whole trip or journey or whatever, and that I really appreciate that you've been by my side the whole time. I really love you Cy, thanks."

"It's not like we're going to die," Cy assured him. But anyway, she wrapped her arms around his waist as he kept his around her shoulders, head resting gently on top of hers.

_Dear Mental Diary, I haven't visited you in a while. Well, I've been really busy. But now, I can relax. It's like the calm before the storm. I know it's not going to be easy, defeating the Dark Kingdom. And I sometimes wonder why I got thrown into all of this! But I know that Svrion and I can do it! Plus, this adventure does have its perks! Svrion is probably **the** awesomest guy ever…wait till I tell Clarrisa that I have a boyfriend. _

For a few seconds, Svrion and Cy stayed in the warm embrace. Then, Cy pulled back.

"I love you too," she said, noticing that her response was missing. Svrion bent down and kissed her lips, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time. The two savored the moment as much as they could, until a bright flash of lightning forced them apart.

"What the…?" Svrion was cut short as Cy yelped, reaching out and twisting the steering wheel. The aircraft plunged to the right, just as another bolt of lightning flashed where they had been a second before. Cy quickly buried herself in Svrion's arms, frightened. If she hadn't done that…

"This is not the time!" Svrion said with determination, slowly pushing Cy away. He made sure she stood close to him, though, within arm's reach if the aircraft was about to do more acrobatics. Then, he placed both hands on the steering wheel and looked at the sky. "Apparently, the Castle senses things we couldn't imagine. It knows we're imposters. Get ready for a rough ride, Cy." She nodded, and Svrion placed an arm around her shoulder. Just then, a flurry of lightning strikes issued out of the main cloud, a particularly dark and menacing one that made a point of hovering right above the Castle's topmost turret. But, Svrion was ready.

Skillfully, Svrion turned the aircraft to the right, then to the left, avoiding all the blasts. He smirked as he thought of his gaming skills that he had acquired practicing on some virtual reality games.

"Two more on your right!" Cy observed, and Svrion was quick to dodge to the left in time. "Now one's on the left, see if you can go right. Okay, now, go faster and see if you can plunge down…that's it, now lift it up…maybe you can…let's go to that window. It's protected from the lightning blasts because of that turret. Hopefully the Castle won't attack itself." Svrion calmly followed Cy's orders, and naturally the two of them landed safely in the little spot outside a second-story window. It lay in the shadow of two turrets that protectively housed it far from the lightning blasts that now vainly searched for them. Cy fell back against Svrion's chest, breathing a sigh of relief. He allowed a second to wrap his arms around her before pulling back and jumping off the craft. Cy followed.

The two of them sized up the Castle from where they stood. It had many turrets, towers, and stairs, all merging together and flowing apart in a way that seemed architecturally impossible. And that wasn't even counting the fact that the whole Castle floated a little less than a mile above ground. The two Light Kingdom residents tested the edges of the window, hoping they could use it to get inside. Luckily, they found that they could open it from the outside by lightly pushing in the edges. It swung inside, letting the two of them indoors.

Once the window closed up, Cy and Svrion realized it was horribly dark. Luckily, Svrion's wig hair was shining brightly. Cy had to laugh. Svrion's head looked like a light bulb. However, she could tell that Svrion wasn't in a very pleasant mood. He looked quite annoyed by his hair.

"Let's get a move on it, shall we?" he asked, frowning down upon his shoulders where his brightly glowing headpiece chose to lazily sprawl out. Cy stifled her giggle. After that whole romantic ride, there was no reason to get on his bad side now.

The two of them wandered around the Castle. It was made up of giant chambers that seemed virtually empty, save for the tall columns of black marble that rose majestically up to the ceiling. Cy really had to resist the urge to shout; the wide expanse of space was tempting her to release a sea of echoes. Suddenly, Svrion stopped.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, looking around with worry. Cy stopped. She heard it too, assuring Svrion that he wasn't imaging things. A soft pair of footsteps sounded behind them. The duo whirled around, already thinking of spells to use. The footsteps stopped.

"Curse this darkness," Svrion whispered angrily. "I can't tell who it is that's making that sound." Even his soft comment was carried across the empty hall. Cy shivered. The entire area was cloaked in shadow. Someone could easily sneak up on them.

"Let's hurry!" Cy suggested, grabbing Svrion's arm and pulling him farther into the darkness. "Your hair only makes it worse!" Svrion muttered something and pulled the annoying light out of his hair, shaping it back into a ball that he sheltered between his palms. Now, even though it gave out only a little light, enough for them to see a few feet in front,it still remained an obvious beacon to any who followed.

After going through a couple more doors and ballroom-sized rooms, the two of them finally found themselves in front of a taller, more decorated set of doors. Two guards stood in front, eyeing them suspiciously. Both were Dragon Master Knights. As Cy and Svrion approached, the two guards unsheathed their swords and held it in a ready gesture.

"Um…hello?" Svrion asked, clearly surprised. He was sure that back in Shadow Town, he had been told that the Flute was left unguarded.

"Backup…" said the Dragon Master Knight on the left. Cy noticed he had a faintly feminine voice, though still sounding evil at the same time. While she pondered this, Svrion tried to think of a way out of this situation.

"We were sent to tell you that the next guards would be here soon. They weren't prepared, and so we came to warn you to be on the safe side. And, we came to check on the Flute. Just in case." The Knights looked at each other with a shrug.

"Why not?" said the guard on the right, his voice sounding regal like that of a king's. He pushed open the door, lacing his hand with a special magic that allowed him to do so. Cy and Svrion mentally sighed with relief. Luck was clearly on their side.

The two entered the chamber. It resembled a throne room, with a long velvet carpet that ran the entire length of the room to rest at a few steps that led up to a throne. However, the throne was not in the shape of a chair, but a display case that held the famous Flute of Summoning Dragon. It faintly glowed green and sparks flew out of its mouth, leaving through the windows that rested high on the walls. Cy looked behind her. The doors were wide open still but the guards had vanished. Shrugging, she quickened her pace. Svrion followed and finally, they had reached the Flute.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Cy cried. She didn't even care that her voice echoed throughout the chamber. She picked up the Flute. It was larger that she had imagined too. She ran her hand over its golden surface encrusted with many a jewel. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, anddiamonds all called out to her. The light from the glow illuminated her face. Svrion came up next to her, placing a hand on the horn as well.

"Congratulations!" Cy whirled around, recognizing the voices. She expected it to come from the Knights, but instead, it came from two tall figures cloaked in shadow. She backed up against Svrion, who tensed with worry. The greeting wasn't said in happiness. The voices had an eerie, almost evil sound to them.

"Who…who…who?" Svrion stuttered. The first of the two figures stepped out of the darkness, followed quickly by her husband.

"Cosmo Queen! King Jinzo!" The rulers of the Dark Kingdom had come to pay them a visit.


	14. Rescuing Celton! Part 2

Disclaimer: The one downside to not writing original fiction. Alright, you win. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! It's only in my dreams…leave me alone.

Chapter 14: Rescuing Celton! Part 2

Another Witty Phantom fell down with a thud, probably the fifteenth in that hallway.

"You have good aim!" Hufanse complimented, taking a deep breath. The red-haired woman was dazzling, in both beauty and talent. Out of all the guards they had trampled, most of the knockouts were by the young woman. And she was using apples!

The woman looked back at Hufanse with a grin. He blushed slightly under her gaze.

"Well, I'm often bored back home. There's nothing like good old target practice!" Hufanse grinned too. He really liked this girl. She was daring, talented, fun… and did he mention beautiful? She had a great smile too. But she must have known he liked her already due to all his stammering, blushing, and tripping every time she merely looked at him. She must have caught on by now… oh well, one thing's for sure: Cy was long gone from his thoughts now, which was good. She did have her own boyfriend after all.

"I believe that we have struck down all the guards in this hallway," Aundren observed, taking a careful look around him. It was a narrow path, barely enough for the three of them to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. It wasn't very tall either. Aundren could touch the cold stone ceiling by merely extending his hand above his head. The walls were dark blue and freezing to the touch, even though every few paces a torch sat blazing in its fixture. Luckily, the flames created brightnessin the area.

"Let's keep going," Hufanse suggested, taking a slight lead in front of the others. He wanted to appear at least a little brave and impressive for the woman that accompanied them, even though she had done most of the impressing so far. After all, it was she who had brought them over to the Dragon Chamber, taking them through a special portal that connected with the far side of a place named Shadow Town. Even though Hufanse and Aundren had both lived in the Dark Kingdom for most of their lives, they had never heard of the place.

It was there thatshe had shot down the first few guards with the apples so she could magically unlock the gate and slip them inside. Fromthen on,it had been easy access. All they needed were a few apples, followed by the quicktakeout of the guards, and they were in.

"How much farther is it?" Aundren asked anxiously as the three continued their walk. "I amnot sure exactly how Celtonis doing currently, and I would like to figure it out soon."

"There's no way to know how he's doing. We just gotta hope that he ain't in trouble already." Hufanse crinkled his eyebrows.

"Wait." He stopped, and the others stopped walking to turn and look at him. "Let's say the Dragons are already out. What can we do? Three of us against even one Dragon is pretty tough, especially if it's a Blue-Eyes. And if it's a full-grown, let's not even bother. Remember, the ones those attackers of ours had used were only children compared to most of the ones in the army. What will we do?"

"Leave the Dragon to me…" the red-haired one assured him. Strangely, Hufanse knew he could trust her. It might have come from the fact that she had amazed them so far. "I'm not head of the Clandestine for nothing."

"The what?" Hufanse queried.

"Nothing. It's just what I call it, because it describes it pretty good."

"What's _it_?"

"Maybe I'll tell you eventually. For now, let's stick to our plan. We're looking for a pair of double sliding doors, not just the single ones we've been passing lately. Can we move on?" Hufanse realized he'd made them stop. He thought for a moment. Then, out of curiosity, he voiced one more question.

"How come you know so much about this place? Isn't it secret?" The red-haired girl smiled, bowing her head.

"I've…I'm…well, it's not important now. I'll just tell you, it's got something to do with my parents. They've been planning this for years, way before they came into power."

"Wow, slow down," Aundren interrupted, turning around to face the woman directly. "Came into…power?" The redhead took a deep breath.

"Oh well. I can clearly tell I've put it off for too long. Hufanse…Aundren. I'm the only daughter of Cosmo Queen and King Jinzo…" She looked pleadingly up at the two astonished men. "I'm the Dark Kingdom Princess, the one that's been missing for years!"

………

Celton panicked and tried to scoot backwards, but he didn't have much energy left. Moreover, every single part of his body seared with pain from the bruises and broken bones that had been the result of Harsh's torture. He could feel the dread looming in his thoughts as the realization struck him. He could not escape from the Dragons.

The twin Blue-Eyes, Erkth and Mitirk by name, advanced upon him with great interest. Rarely did they get anything to eat that was as delicious as fresh meat. And what made this situation far better was that Celton was injured. The Dragons were intelligent. They knew he would not struggle long and that they would not need to use much of their energy. The only problem was sharing. Erkth roared and voiced her complaint. It was only a mere boy that lay sprawled before them. If she and her brother had to share this, why…it would barely be a mouthful.

However, Mitirk didn't seem to mind. His thoughts were that if he reached Celton first, he would have the first taste. Broken bones and bruises meant nothing to him. It was a living creature, and however small he was, Celton would provide quite a tasty treat.Mitirk remembered once upon a time that he never ate any meat, and neither did his sister. They were vegetarians just like all the other Dragons had been. He paused for a moment, reflecting upon this sudden memory.

Suddenly, the sliding doors burst open in an explosion of blue fire. The Dragons reared up and roared, blinded by the sudden light. A Lord of Dragons and a Dragon Master Knight charged in, fists up and ready to fight, but a red-haired woman pushed them aside and ran to the Dragons.

"Are you crazy?" Hufanse yelled after her, but Aundren held him back. He swiftly pointed to Celton, but Hufanse refused to peel his eyes away from the young princess as she hurried to the Dragons. "She's gone mad! She won't survive two full grown Blue-Eyes…mmmmm…" Aundren placed his hand over Hufanse's mouth. Forced into silence, the Lord had no choice but to watch. Soon, he realized he was doing the right thing.

The young woman did not need to fight or even appear threatening. She merely whistled and the Dragons dropped their heads close to hers. She grinned and nuzzled them both, much to the surprise of the three that watched from the other side of the chamber. The young woman walked back with both Dragons on her heels. However, both beasts looked happy, even though they hid a pang of annoyance of being robbed of their snack.

"Are you alright?" the redhead asked, leaning down next to Celton. He opened his jaw, stared at her, and closed it again. His eyes remained as wide as ever. The young woman rolled her eyes. She expected it as she had that effect on all men.

"Man!" Hufanse exclaimed, pulling off some of Celton's outfit to reveal his upper shoulders. "Look what they did to him!"

"It hurts!" Celton explained with a moan. The young woman sighed, looking back at the Dragons.

"Erkth…Mitirk…well?" she asked expectantly. They lightly roared and murmured something the three young men could not understand. The young woman, however, was nodding patiently.

"I see," she concluded, looking back at Celton. "Well, it won't do him no good till he's healed." The young red-haired woman placed both hands on Celton's head and hummed slightly. Both Dragons rested a claw on her shoulder.

Hufanse and Aundren watched in awe as a faint blue glow surrounded Celton. One by one, each and every bruise shrunk until it vanished completely, replaced by unbroken skin. Every broken bone in his body healed until there wasn't a crack left. All his tiredness and hunger melted away in an instant. When the blue shimmer faded away, Celton looked as good as new. Aundren smiled at Celton, happy for his recovery. Hufanse gaped at the woman. But he recovered quickly enough to point an accusing finger at her.

"You!" he cried. The woman cringed. Aundren, who was in the middle of helping Celton stand up, stared at the two.

"I'm sorry!" she pleaded. "I should've told you earlier…"

"You didn't finish!" Hufanse stated. "You left off at the _missing for years_ part. We had no choice but to follow you as you walked away in silence. We depended on you for Celton…but now you have to tell us what is going on."

"What _is_ going on?" Celton asked, confused, as he stood and tested his legs. They were working fine. Aundren took this time to explain.

"This young woman has been most kind in helping us find you, Celton. However, it was revealed just a while ago that she has some secret. If we can believe what she is telling us, she is the princess of the Dark Kingdom!" Celton gaped at her for the second time. The young woman lowered her eyes.

"You can start with your name," Hufanse said.

"Well…" the woman started slowly. "When I was born, I was given the name Faiya. However, when I escaped from the castle, I used the name Silhouette. You don't understand how much I've gone through, Hufanse. I had to change my lifestyle, my name, the way I walked, the way I talked, everything…I couldn't be found, not after I heard my parents talking." Faiya stopped suddenly, sighing and looking away to the side. Hufanse stepped up behind her and put an assuring arm on her shoulder.

"What did they say?" he asked.

"Well…this war…it's been planned for years. Even before my parents were in power, they had dreamed of conquering the whole Realm. They wanted both sides to be theirs. They wanted this to be the Dark Realm, not just the Dark Kingdom. They decided in secret how they would accomplish this. They collected a few select warriors that would be loyal to them at all costs. Most of the population they left alone. They figured the only way they would gain enough support is if they made the war seem like the fault of the Light Kingdom.

"Well, I heard them plan everything one night. I had gone to ask them about something and stopped outside their door. That was the night I received the shocking news… I didn't believe it at first. Planning such an attack made my parents…evil!" Faiya shuddered, pausing her story. Hufanse let his arm encircle her shoulders. Celton and Aundren had also surrounded her. She looked at all of them and smiled.

"They had been talking of creating a secret place…Shadow Town. Of course, it's not so secret anymore. A year ago, I think, a few people started figuring out about the Town. Few Light Kingdom residents know, though important people were allowed the knowledge to lessen the suspicion that hovered over the Dark Kingdom. The King and Queen of the Light Kingdom knew, and they told their most trusted subjects as to not scare their people. I remember meeting up with a Dark Sage once, in all my efforts. I gave him a map of the place that Clandestine members had managed to acquire, along with some other information.

"Well, anyway, most of the Dark Kingdom residents have no idea. Or else, they might realize this attack was planned by none other than Cosmo Queen and Jinzo. Anyway, my parents were slowly building an army. They raised their own Dragons and bred them. You might not know this, but most Dragons are herbivores. They don't like meat, until my parents came and screwed up their diet. They bred an entire army of savage creatures." Faiya turned and looked sadly at her Dragons. "These two were mine, before I escaped. Their names are really Tara and Tarent. They were nice Dragons. Now they've been reduced to savage creatures…I don't know how many of the original Dragons are left."

"So, then, what now?" Celton asked, surprised to hear his own voice. Faiya had been talking for a while. "I mean, now we know the war has been established by your parents to get rid of the Light Kingdom, the Dragons are now in it, and you…what have you been doing?"

"Well…I'm part of Clandestine." Faiya looked at Hufanse, remembering that she had mentioned it once. "It's really called the Clandestine Organization of the Liberated Dark, or COLD. I'm the leader of it. COLD is a group of select individuals - which sadly is too little a number - that are trying to stop this war. The thing is… most of the residents are under a spell. They are unswervingly obedient to the King and Queen. You two know this, of course." Faiya took a breath and pointed at Hufanse and Aundren. "You two are part of the few that have escaped the spell, somehow. You two managed to run for it, but the ones that stayed behind like me joined together. We are not blind to the truth; we are free from the spell. We're trying to free others as well."

"I'm now getting it," Celton remarked. "Wow! I can't believe Cy got me into all of this!"

"Who is Cy?" Faiya asked.

"She's our friend," Hufanse replied.

"And my little sister!" Celton added. "She started this whole thing when she accidentally gave away Hufanse and Aundren. Before we knew it, saving the two of them has turned into an attempt to stop this giant war." Faiya nodded sadly.

"Where is she?"

"Um…she's…OH NO!" Celton put both hands to his head. "I don't remember! Last I checked…"

"Don't worry!" Hufanse assured him. "She's with Svrion and they are heading to the Flute."

"The what?" Faiya exclaimed. "Why…that's in the Castle of Dark Illusions! They can't do that alone!" Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton gasped.

"I can't believe it!" Hufanse said. "We've been standing here the whole time…we need to get to Cy and Svrion fast!"

"You guys must have been crazy!" Faiya scolded, hands on her hips. "How can you send them up there alone? Did they fly on a normal aircraft? Well…even then… the Castle will sense them! Hurry…we must get to them. I'll help you three find a craft…but you three must go up there alone. This is horrible! The King and Queen will be alerted by the lightning attacks…"

"Lightning attacks…" Hufanse paled.

"Well…do you think the Castle was just going to float there while intruders advanced into its interior? Would you just stand there if someone were trying to dig their way into your heart? We must go now if there is any chance to save their lives!"

………

"I didn't think it was possible to get here so fast!" Celton panted. Aundren and Hufanse bent down, palms on their knees, taking hard breathes to restore their energy. Faiya had made them sprint from one end of the Town to the other. She had done the same with them, but she seemed to be untouched by the physical effort.

"I have my family's gift," Faiya explained as she gave them ten seconds to catch up. "None of us tire easily, and we have unexplainable powers. However, to even out that bargain, we are equally cursed. I never used to know what it was. Now I know…it is the evil that controls my parents. There always has to be some good and evil in this world to balance each other. It is my family that has to pay for the universe's equilibrium."

"Then…you too…" Hufanse said, straightening up. Faiya turned and looked at him.

"Yes…me too. I'm strong, I'm talented, I have good looks…but one day I'll be evil too. I can sense your sorrow, and I know why." Faiya looked down, keeping her eyes as far away from his as possible. "I'm not blind. But I warn you; I'm not the one for you. I do not know the circumstances, but one day I will not be on your side. Then, you will need to learn to forget me." Hufanse shook his head.

"No…you…I…but…"

"The Shadow Town Base, Castle Guard Fortress…" Faiya interrupted, though her voice was a whisper. She spread her hand out to reveal the buildings all around them. The foursome had stopped behind the largest of them all, a five-story structure built to house many aircrafts. Everywhere, Witty Phantoms and Lords of Dragons jogged about, preparing as if the war was starting right above their heads. Sure enough, it seemed as if it was. Either that, or the Castle was having a mood swing.

"Look at that!" Celton exclaimed, staring up at the sky. It was overcast, and dark clouds poured in from all around. The fiercest and darkest cloud that surrounded the top tower of the Castle mysteriously loomed in its place, sending out random thunderbolts that split the sky with a deafening crack. None of them actually made it to the ground. They just vanished, suspended in the air.

"As I thought," Faiya said. "Your friends have gone in there." She squinted up in the sky. "Do you see that other structure? At the bottom of the Castle?"

"It looks like a very strange aircraft," Aundren informed. Faiya gasped.

"It's my parents! The King and Queen are there!"

"What are we waiting for?" Hufanse said. "We need to go up there!"

"Are you crazy? The lightning is flashing like wild. You'll get us all killed."

"Celton! Don't be unreasonable! Your sister is up there!"

"The two of you must calm down. Let us listen to Faiya. Perhaps she has already thought of a way that we may safely approach the Castle." Aundren's suggestion seemed to be most reasonable. Faiya thought for a moment.

"We'll need to steal a craft," she said. "I can hold down the lightning, but you three still need a way to get up there."

"Sure, and getting an aircraft is going to be _so_ easy," Hufanse said sarcastically, frowning at Faiya. She looked at him with a scowl.

"Now don't go getting angry at me cause I told you to stay away for your own safety."

"Yeah. Tell me to stay away _after_ you've charmed me. Perfect timing, I couldn't love you more." Hufanse's voice still remained sarcastic. Celton wanted to interfere, but Aundren held him back.

"It is required that they settle this," he whispered to Celton. They turned back to the pair.

"You forget that I have a heart too! Don't think I'm doing this on purpose! It's not my fault I look attractive to men. It's your fault, if anyone's, for falling for it."

"Now blame it on me? You could have thrown your charm on someone else, like those guards, instead of-," Faiya cut him off by putting a finger to his lips.

"That is the best idea I have ever heard." Hufanse raised his eyebrows, confused, while Celton and Aundren stared at each other.

………

"My…the Castle is mad at something." The Lord of Dragons that was originally supposed to go up the Castle shook his head lightly as he wiped the last spot on the aircraft. It was his pride and joy, the first one that was actually his own and not a rental from the flying academy.

"Are you ready partner?" a blonde Lord of Dragons asked as he clapped a hand on his brown-haired friend that was finishing cleaning the plane. "Well, what a fury that Castle is in. Let's just hope it stops when we get near."

"Didn't that start when the temporary guards went up?" the brunette asked. The other nodded.

"Yep…wonder what was wrong. You go report this to the Major. I'm not sure he wants us out there." The brunette nodded and walked away to the tall building as the other Lord kept staring up at the darkening clouds, not even noticing the subtle footsteps behind him until the intruder put her hand on the aircraft.

"Hello…" she greeted seductively. The Lord turned around and immediately gaped. Faiya leaned back on the aircraft, twirling a strand of her bright red hair in her fingers and giving him a slow smile. Several paces behind her, Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton peeked out from behind a pillar. Aundren smirked, Celton grinned, and Hufanse scowled.

"Who are you?" the blonde Lord of Dragons asked, hand on his blade. Faiya backed off from the aircraft and advanced upon him, eyelashes fluttering.

"I'm…someone…" Faiya whispered, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist. "I might ask…who are you?" She drew out every word, making it slow and seducing. Lifting her hand, she traced his jaw with her finger. "Why, what handsome men this Kingdom has." The Lord grinned foolishly, but Faiya quickly drew away.

"And what a lovely aircraft." Faiya ran a hand along its surface. "May I borrow it?"

"Borrow…borrow…" The blonde suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "It's my friend's…I don't think he'd want you…to…" Faiya turned around, pouting. She pressed her lips together and heaved a sigh.

"Couldn't you do this one thing for me, please my dear?" She returned to the blonde Lord and put her arms around his shoulders, leaving him stuttering.

"Well…I could…I would…" Faiya didn't let him continue. Without warning, she pulled him down and closed the distance between their lips.

Quite a distance away, Aundren and Celton gagged, and Hufanse's jaw nearly hit the floor, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Back at the aircraft, Faiya pulled away slowly, smiling devilishly up at the Lord who now had definitely lost it.

"I'll go ask my friend," he replied faintly, stumbling back to the building. As soon as he was gone, Faiya quickly ushered her friends to the scene.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Hufanse cried out, nearly about to attack Faiya. She placed a hand to her lips.

"I didn't mean to! I needed to accomplish that fast! That was the quickest way I could think of!" Hufanse looked away with a huff as Faiya glanced up at him. "I'm sorry…"

"Whatever…" Hufanse brushed her past, aiming to get onto the aircraft, but Faiya held his arm.

"Good luck. I won't be coming with you. I need to alert the other members of COLD." Hufanse gave her a hard glance. She sadly looked up at him. Hufanse placed his hand on top of hers, but only briefly as he removed her hold on his arm. Faiya hugged her shoulders.

"The lightning?" he asked quietly, not really looking at her while doing so.

"I can suppress it from down here, it's you three that have to go up there after all. Be careful, Hufanse." The Lord of Dragons gave a grunt and boarded the aircraft quickly. Faiya reached out to him, but pulled back her hand quickly. It was too late. But it was all for the better. He only had a crush on her anyway. The faster it went away, the better it was for him. Faiya had said that herself. Now why was she feeling bad?

"Let's go," Hufanse said. Aundren and Celton looked at each other, then back at him.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Celton asked, putting a hand on Hufanse's shoulder gently. He angrily swiped it off.

"Of course I am!" he snapped. The Knight and the Magician-to-be stared at each other.

"Well, then, we best be off!" Aundren announced with a fake smile, looking at Faiya and giving her a nod. "Thank you. We will meet again."

"Of course…" she looked at Hufanse who gave her one piercing look, "…once more at least…till I go evil." Hufanse looked away. Faiya wasn't sure, but she was almost positive she saw a tear run down his cheek.

The steering wheel started glowing a sickly black as soon as it sensed all its passengers were on board. Faiya backed away slowly and the craft took off, soaring towards the Castle in the sky. The red-haired woman waved at them until a blast of lightning shook the sky.

_I must hurry and find a place to hide, and then, I must work on the lightning._ Faiya hurried away, banishing the aircraft from her mind as she prepared the spell to control the storm. Above her, the dark cloud of the Castle almost seemed to grin as it showered six strong lightning bolts down upon the unsuspecting Realm that the five heroes were trying so desperately to save.


	15. Saving the Light Kingdom! Part 2

Disclaimer: Thank you for choosing _Rising to the Top _as your official flight to the Duel Monster Realm. Please keep your hands and feet inside the seat at all times to avoid random emotional flailing that is due to intense chapters. Also, remember that you must fasten your sanity at all times when you are seated or when the sign is flashing. This will help you cross the turbulence in particularly confusing or violent chapters. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenic view through your computer window. _The author of this flight is not affiliated with the creators and editors of Yu-Gi-Oh, and therefore cannot possibly own the show, manga, action figures, etc. _

Chapter 15: Saving the Light Kingdom! Part 2

"You!" Cy cried, glaring at Cosmo Queen and King Jinzo as they advanced across the velvet carpet. Svrion and Cy backed up until they bumped into the Flute's throne. It was empty, of course, since Cy cradled the object like a baby in her arms.

"Thieves," Cosmo Queen chuckled, "give back to us what is rightfully ours."

"You're planning to attack the Light Kingdom!" Svrion accused bravely, even though he didn't have half the courage he sounded like he did. It seemed fair enough, two on two. But Cosmo Queen and Jinzo had far more power than any could fathom.

Jinzo smirked. "And you're planning to stop us? Come, let us stop this useless chatter. We each know the other's motives. And we each know who is the stronger. Why, we can't even consider the two of you unless you double the number." Cy growled at his statement.

"Don't judge us!" At her words, the sky outside suddenly lit up with a bolt of lightning so bright it blinded the occupants of the room and turned the darkness into pure white. Then, the gloom settled back in. Cy and Svrion had to blink several times to readjust. But they were distracted. The sudden brightness and loud clap of thunder that resulted allowed Cosmo Queen and King Jinzo to exchange brief glances. As soon as Cy and Svrion had balanced themselves, another blast followed. This time, it was inside the castle.

The sickly black wave tore towards the Light Kingdom duo at amazing speed. Instinctively, Svrion pushed Cy away. She sprawled to the floor, doing everything to hold onto the precious Flute. Looking back, she gave a shriek. The wave of power, glowing black with purple flaming edges, collided with Svrion.

With a howl that shook the Castle, Svrion flew back up against the wall. He made contact with the stone wall with a sickening slam and slid to the ground. Cy stared blankly for a few seconds before comprehending.

"**SVRION!**" Cy dropped the Flute in her haste to arrive by his side. Cosmo Queen and Jinzo made no move to recover it. Soon, Cy would by dead as well, and there would be no one but them that could retrieve it.

Cy felt her heart sink lower and lower as dread filled her. _He's not dead, he's not dead. I will die if he is dead._ She slowly ascended the steps and inched towards his body on the other side of the throne. A slow moan escaped Svrion, and filled with the sudden realization that he was alive, Cy practically ran and fell upon him.

"Oh, Svrion! Please! Be okay, be okay."

"It's hardly possible, seeing as how I made that horrible slam against the wall," Svrion whispered, coughing up a little blood. Cy had a horrible flashback, back to the time Celton had been in the same state. All because of her. _It's all my fault. Celton, Svrion…they've risked their lives for my stupid idea. If I hadn't decided to change the world by being the first female Dark Magician, this wouldn't have happened._

"Yes it would have," Svrion responded softly when Cy voiced her regrets. "Even if you weren't there in the flow of time, Jinzo and Cosmo Queen would have still waged war. Aren't you glad we are at least here, stopping it before it starts?" Cy pulled Svrion's head upon her lap as she knelt on the floor. His body was growing extremely cold, and it was evident he was using his last strength to say those words. Jinzo and Cosmo Queen waited patiently.

"Let the girl have her last moments of happiness," Cosmo Queen whispered to her husband. "It will make our victory all the more victorious."

"The moment he takes his last breath, we will kill her."

Cy let her hand brush over Svrion's hair. His cap had fallen off as the blast had taken him, and his purple locks lay all over Cy's lap. She fingered each strand, thankful for the strange peace. It didn't matter if the royals did anything to them. Svrion's breathing was getting slower and slower by the second, and if he died, Cy would have no choice but to do the same.

"Cy?" Svrion asked. "I wonder…do you think Celton was saved?" Cy's eyes widened.

"Oh…I…why?"

"Well, I've met…him…and he…seems…he's still _alive_, you know? I can feel it. You can always _feel_ it when someone dies…no matter where they are…death…you can feel it…"

"Please don't talk about death," Cy pleaded, gathering as much of Svrion as she could into her arms.

"No…Cy…you don't understand…I can _feel_ it. I can _feel_ something…I still feel myself, and I can _feel_ you…" Cy let her finger trace over his face.

"Really," she asked, like a mother talking to her sleepy child that was tucked warmly in bed. "Then, what do I feel like?"

"I don't know…you…you're holding on to me…a part of me wants to grow wings and fly…and yet…I can feel a grip on my shoulder, I can feel you…" Svrion took another shaky breath. "And I can _feel_ the others. They are close Cy. They will help us."

"Oh please," Jinzo whispered to Cosmo Queen, rolling his eyes. "This is going on to no end…"

"Patience," Cosmo Queen said, grinning devilishly at her next victim. "The fun starts soon…the boy is losing his fight."

"So…let me rest Cy. Go, fight Cosmo Queen and Jinzo."

"Are you crazy?"

"Trust me Cy." With those words, Svrion closed his eyes. Cy crinkled her eyebrows.

"Svrion? Svrion? Wait!" She lifted up his hand and shook it, but it fell back down. And he was so, deathly cold… "NO! You can't! You can't die!" She put a hand to his heart, hoping against all odds that it was still beating. Though very faintly, she could still hear a slow rhythm. Svrion had some life, though very, very little.

"Are you done yet?" Jinzo complained, finally having enough with the tragic moment. Cy looked up at him as she finished laying Svrion on the ground, folding his hands across his chest.

"I believe so," she said cautiously, getting up. Already, a number of brilliant spells were running through her mind. Of course, she had no idea if any would work. She only had her normal strategy, to blindly string words together and see if any made a good impact. Then again, she also had learned quite a few words on this journey. She was so intent on the final battle, and the royals were so intent on removing her from existence, that no one noticed the lightening outside had stopped and the Castle had once again become peaceful.

Cosmo Queen and Jinzo looked at each other and smiled. Cy took a moment to run her eyes over them, trying to see if they had any weaknesses. The Queen was standing straight and tall. She seemed to already know that the battle was won, since it was in her favor for sure. Waiting for Cy to make the first move, she fingered the length of her dark red velvet gown, the majority of it covered with shadows that danced every time her finger brushed the fabric. She had a very strange green and gold plated collar that spread out over her shoulders with an intricate design that matched her headpiece. Her bright red hair lay almost out of sight within the depths of her crown, and at the top spike of the strange article of clothing lay a tiara with a small image of some Dragon. Cy guessed it was a Blue-Eyes. The Queen wore no armor besides her crown, and therefore it seemed like she was vulnerable anywhere but her head.

Jinzo, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite. He had on a long suit that covered every inch of his body with blue-green impenetrable metal laced with black magic. The outfit was particularly strong about the chest and neck, but fanned out like a dress near the legs. Besides a small mask, Jinzo's head was pretty much an easy target. He was quite an ugly figure. Cy suppressed a mental giggle as she thought of how Cosmo Queen could stand him. After all, evil put aside, she was quite a beauty. If she had a child, a daughter perhaps, it would be easy to predict that all men would be after her. But what were the chances of that?

"Did you fall asleep?" Jinzo asked. "Because I surely did." Cy narrowed her eyes.

"Well, let's begin then," she said slowly, darting glances between Cosmo Queen and Jinzo. The battlefield was silent once again. The hall resonated with uneasiness. "Well…?"

"I'm thinking of how to kill you," Cosmo Queen explained. "If you would be so kind as to be patient, I'll have the perfect torture planned out for you soon."

"Not soon enough though. You're too late…" Cosmo Queen looked up at Cy, but it wasn't the young Dark Magic student that had spoken. Cy was already looking at the entrance. Her voice caught in the back of her throat. It didn't matter anyway. She couldn't have decided whether to scream, cry, or shout with happiness given the situation.

From the tall double doors that led into the chamber, a blonde Dark Magician stepped out from the shadows. Following close behind him was a smiling, kind-faced Dragon Master Knight and a sulky Lord of Dragons who looked as if he had not had the best of days.

"Celton! You're alive!" Cy squeaked, unable to contain her joy. "And Aundren! Hufanse! What has you in such a tight mood?"

"Oh, look, it's the rest of the heroes," Jinzo exclaimed with a touch of sarcasm. "I was beginning to wonder if any excitement would start."

"You don't mess with my sister till you get past me!" Celton snarled.

"Oh look, such brotherly love," Cosmo Queen gushed, though she was doing it just for her own laughs. Jinzo rolled his eyes. "I've killed off that twerp's boyfriend, now I can kill off her brother as well. Taking over the world is _so_ much fun."

"Killed off her boyfriend…" Aundren scanned the room. "Svrion! Hufanse, look over there. What has befallen our friend?" The two Dark Kingdom residents raced across the velvet carpet, leaving Celton to face Jinzo.

"Oh your friend has _been fallin'_ off the wall," Cosmo Queen laughed. Jinzo couldn't help but smirk. Cy and Celton did not find that funny, especially not Cy.

"You said you would consider us if we doubled the number," Cy retorted. Aundren and Hufanse briefly looked over Svrion before returning to join Cy just as Celton did the same. The four of them faced the Dark Kingdom royals. "There are four of us now…" Jinzo shrugged.

"I suppose it might be a warm-up for the full-scale battle we will eventually wage against the Light Kingdom. What do you say, my Queen?"

"It's like the appetizer before the main course," she replied. "Why not give them a chance?" Cosmo Queen and Jinzo exchanged a quick glance, nodded, and turned their back to each other. Then, they walked ten paces apart each and turned back to face the foursome. The group looked at each other, silently agreeing on a plan. Hufanse and Aundren walked to the left so they were parallel to Jinzo, and Cy and Celton faced off with Cosmo Queen.

In the beginning, as with every battle, the opponents merely stared at each other. A pin drop could be heard in the silence that enveloped them as strongly as the darkness. Aundren stared coolly at Jinzo while Hufanse was giving him a heated glare. Jinzo glanced back and smirked. Cy and Celton wore twin expressions of rage, but Cosmo Queen smiled as if relishing the battle that was to come. Now came the battle of words, which most of it had been played out anyway.

"So, what shall I say to your brothers?" Jinzo started, facing the former Dark Kingdom residents. "Aren't they Randren and Harsh, some of my best warriors? You both bear an eerie resemblance to them. Wouldn't they be heartbroken you turned on them?"

"They were the first to turn on us," Aundren said. "And moreover, they have already tried to kill us once. Chances are that telling them this bit of news will not provoke them further seeing that they have already severed ties with us."

"We could ask you a similar question," Hufanse added. "What would your daughter say?" Cy's head turned towards Hufanse, a curious expression climbing on her face. Cosmo Queen's eyes darkened.

"The nerve of you," she snapped. Then, without warning, she sent a wave of black energy towards him. Aundren and Hufanse ducked out of the way.

"That's not fair! _Dark Magic Attack!_" Celton shot back, and the fight began. Caught off guard, Cy ducked behind her brother as he fired fire bullets at Cosmo Queen. She sidestepped and shot another wave of power. This was quickly returned by Hufanse and Aundren combining a string of shots. Jinzo gathered a globe of power in his hands and shot it out in the middle, only to be hit back when Cy used _Back Force_, a minor form of Mirror Force. A brief pause and it all started again.

At first it seemed like the battle was equally progressing. Both sides would take a few minor blows, only to come back and strike an even bigger blow. The major attacks were blocked, but the attacker only came back with smaller blasts that got past the defense. However, the tide of the battle soon changed.

Hufanse knew why too, because even in the mix of confusion and concentration he could still remember Faiya clearly. And the blessing that was a curse. She had said quite clearly that her family had immense power and did not tire easily. That was obviously Jinzo and Cosmo Queen.

Actually, Hufanse realized something. She said the members had beauty and all, but Jinzo was by no standard attractive. Perhaps the spell only ran partway in the family. After all, Cosmo Queen couldn't marry her own relatives, so Jinzo would have been an outsider. And if all of Hufanse's seemingly irrelevant thoughts were correct…he had to take a closer look.

"Aundren, cover for me!" Hufanse whispered, leaping ahead. The Dragon Master Knight shrugged and pulled out his sword, using it to deflect blows. Luckily for Hufanse, one of them backfired right into Jinzo. He moaned and fell back slightly, and Hufanse could see clearly. _It was the mask._

Of course. No one normal could last that long. The only reason the four of them were at it was because they were young and double the number. Jinzo was old, and he clearly had no strength. But the mask on his face…it was sucking some of Cosmo Queen's energy every time he took a hit. Cosmo Queen was using her unending source of power to help Jinzo as well. That meant if the mask were gone, then he would be no match for them at all.

"Aundren!" Hufanse said, returning back and shooting out two black bubbles. Celton and Cy at that moment combined an attack that Celton taught her and momentarily blinded the two royals. Hufanse took his time to explain as quickly as he could.

"Jinzo's mask! That's where his energy is! We must destroy it. Celton and Cy need to keep the Queen busy!" Aundren nodded, and hurried behind Celton while Hufanse and Cy teamed up for once.

"Celton!" Aundren hissed as two waves caused them to duck. "You…Cy…keep the Queen busy…" Celton nodded and leaped out of the way. Aundren flipped his sword and deflected the oncoming blast.

"_Dark Magic Attack!_" Cy was using her strength wisely, as Celton had suggested, and was offering out only minor blows. But, combined with the other's strength, it was good enough for the job. She only hoped Cosmo Queen and Jinzo weren't going easy on them.

Hufanse had a plan worked out. They of course needed to get closer to Jinzo, but in a way that they wouldn't notice. They would need to use an illusion of sorts, and those required great energy. Energy that wouldn't go unnoticed by Cosmo Queen. Hopefully Cy and Celton were a good distraction.

Hufanse told Aundren as much as he could while deflecting blows and calling attacks. Aundren nodded. Illusions were tricky and they only worked on one person. Cosmo Queen would have to be kept away. He tried to catch Cy's eye and when he did so, he pleaded with his eyes. Cy nodded, ducked away from a blow, and tried to think of something to do.

_Let's see_, she thought. _I need to think of a way to beat Cosmo Queen. Celton and I are just barely hanging on, and now with Hufanse and Aundren doing something, I can't risk any more time. It's now. Let me see…_ Cy reflected back on her adventure, over the past few days where everything had piled up. It seemed like so many months, but it wasn't that long ago since when she had woken up in her room so excited to start school at the Dark Magic Academy.

It was rather funny, Cy could have concluded, that she got sent on this adventure. She was learning attacks that took three years in the Academy. But it was only expected. People could do great things when needed, and Cy couldn't have survived unless she pulled those certain tricks out of the hat.

_Some of them were explainable_, Cy thought as she escaped another attack. _But not all. I remember that attack that knocked me unconscious. What was it…Magic Sword? Simple words, but they had such an effect. And if I remember correctly, it was Aundren who told me that I had used energy a hundred times more than what I had. It would be enough for Cosmo Queen…but what gave me all that power?_

Cy left her thoughts briefly as she and Celton teamed up again. Blasts were going past her so fast everything blurred. She could faintly make out Hufanse and Aundren linking hands and murmuring a string of words Cy could only guess was a complex spell. She knew she was running out of time to make a distraction. She figured out what she was going to do, but not how she was going to do it. She scanned the room desperately. Her eyes flew around, searching, and came to rest on Svrion. She thought about him, all the things she had done with him, how much she had gotten to know him, and her realization that she loved him…_that's it_. Suddenly it dawned on her.

_Of course, why didn't I make the connection before? _Cy remembered, the sudden feeling. The feeling that had made every kiss of his so passionate. That subtle pulse that radiated from him throughout her body was the same as she had felt when conjuring up the sword. _I know where the power lies…_

"Celton, I'm going to try something!" she called out. Celton nodded and prepared a few spells in his head to protect her in case anything went wrong. At that moment, Hufanse and Aundren spread out their hands and a shimmering cloud formed at the moment their fingers lost contact. Cy knew it was time.

Using every bit of her power she could muster, Cy thought about the bond she shared with Svrion. She felt the pulse within her grow stronger as she thought about him, a gentle blush growing on her face when she thought of his kisses. Then, her eyes narrowed in determination, she held out her hands. Words formed on her lips without her even knowing.

"_Magic…Sword…Spellblade!" _Cy realized she could hear Svrion's voice mixed with her own. Even though he seemed near dead, he was using his energy to help her. And since he had rested, it was plentiful. Multiplied by his, Cy's power grew tremendously. Aundren looked back at her, shocked. Hufanse was already walking through the illusion cloud, and Jinzo's attention was on him. Celton's stare matched Aundren, but Cosmo Queen simply smirked.

"Finally, something worth the fight," she remarked, and the shining Blue-Eyes tiara glowed brighter. Suddenly, two bright white lights poured out and formed something in Cosmo Queen's hand. It took everyone a moment to realize what it was: a sword.

"_Dragonscale_, you have served me well. Prove to me you are the true champion." The Queen flipped her sword several times to get warmed-up before gripping it firmly and eyeing Cy. The teenager only gripped her own as fiercely and glared back, making sure to keep her connection with Svrion strong. The battle started.

Full of new energy, Cy rushed forward with a cry. _Spellblade_ met _Dragonscale_ with a clash of magic metal. Cosmo Queen broke the contact and swiped out, only to be parried by Cy's sword.

"_Fire flush!_" Cosmo Queen commanded as her sword turned red and danced with flames.

"_Spark spiral!_" As the flame rushed forward, Cy let go of her sword as it started twirling in midair, deflecting the flames with short lightening bolts. Celton realized his job after this attack. He issued several neutralizing spells as quickly as he could, trying to keep the attack from flying out towards Aundren or even as far away as Svrion.

Meanwhile, Hufanse walked closer to Jinzo as slowly as he could. Under the illusion, it would look like he was stepping sideways. He would appear no closer than he had been a second ago. Aundren had to keep the cloud flowing with a refreshing spell, and he was grateful that Celton was still attentively blocking the spells from Cosmo Queen as Hufanse tackled those from Jinzo. And all along, Hufanse got closer and closer.

"_Dragonscale!_"

"_Spellblade!_" The two swords clashed once again. With the Queen's energy from her curse and Cy's energy from her bond, the two were evenly matched in power and skill. So far the battle was a draw.

Hufanse took in a deep breath as he stood right in front of Jinzo. The king stopped his attacks; his vision of Hufanse momentarily vanished. The Lord of Dragons looked over the mask, holding his breath as to not alert the king. He found it at last. The clasp.

With all his effort, Hufanse grasped the mask, pressed the clasp, and wrenched it off. The illusion cloud vanished, and Aundren leaped ahead. As Jinzo staggered back, Hufanse and Aundren threw forward their hands.

"_Obliterate!_" they shouted together. At that moment, _Spellblade _and _Dragonscale_ met once again. Cy and Cosmo Queen struggled with all their might to overpower the other. Faces tense, their swords struggled to bend the other. Then, Jinzo's scream struck the air.

His howl shook the Castle and made it waver in midair. He bent over in pain, a gaping hole through his abdomen that slowly spread out until it claimed him. In a sickening explosion of black light he simply vanished, his mask falling to the ground. This was all the distraction needed. Cosmo Queen turned and cried out in anguish, and without thinking, Cy freed her blade and struck. It impaled the Queen right below her ribs.

"No!" Cy cried out, realizing what she had done. But it was too late. Cosmo Queen staggered back, but she didn't vanish like her husband. Instead, her eyes brightened and she fell softly, breathing raggedly. Aundren, Hufanse, and Celton stopped what they were doing, shocked into silence. However, Cy ran forward.

"Cosmo Queen!" she cried. The fatally struck woman smiled up at the young Dark Magic student.

"You freed me," she whispered. "Thank you. Without you, I couldn't have escaped the curse that bound me." At the mention of those words, Hufanse broke free of his trance and ran to her side.

"No, you can't die!" he cried.

"I'm sorry," Cosmo Queen said. As the others joined her in her last moments, she looked at each face in turn, giving her last smile. "I was trapped by the Blue-Eyes Curse, and only death could free me from it."

"No! Death is not the only way," Hufanse protested.

"Yes it is," Cosmo Queen said, looking at him. "My body and brain were controlled by the evil. The real me sat in the shadows and watched in horror as my body and brain committed horrible acts of cruelty. Now, you have killed them both. But without them, I cannot survive. Therefore, I must leave now as well…"

"Death is not the only way…"

"I am afraid it is," Cosmo Queen insisted. "Though it seems cruel, my daughter must die too. I do not want to see her suffer as I did. If my line dies out, maybe the curse will too."

"Your daughter…?" Cy started, but Hufanse quickly drew the Queen's hand into his own.

"I promise you," he said. "I will find away to release Faiya from the spell without killing her. I promise." Cosmo Queen smiled weakly.

"You are so brave and so determined," she lifted a hand and stroked his cheek. She closed her eyes briefly and opened them. Death was closing in fast. "I can believe you. Please tell my daughter I love her."

"I will," Hufanse promised. "And don't worry, you're not the only one." Cosmo Queen grinned, no longer looking like the evil being she once was.

"I was so consumed by the evil that I conjured a husband out of it so my power would not be challenged. I threw my life away…but…you…" Cosmo Queen took a deep breath. "I will not be there in the future to see how it turns out, but I give you my blessing. Please save Faiya, I know if there's someone out there that can, it's you. Don't let her turn out like me. Promise me, as a son might do?"

"Promise, from the bottom of my heart." Cosmo Queen smiled once more.

"And lastly, my body is too weak. But I have a wish that I be buried forever in the rubble of this castle. My dear…" she turned to Cy who glanced teary-eyed at her. "Will you channel my power?"

"Of course, anything." Cosmo Queen closed her eyes and touched Cy's forehead. The Light Kingdom resident suddenly felt a wave of power surge through her and seep out into the castle floor. When Cosmo Queen released her touch, Cy shivered.

"So much power," she remarked.

"Yes, but all gone to waste." The Queen looked one more time around the room. She turned to the Lord of Dragons. "Promise me?" she asked one more time.

"I will save Faiya, with your love and mine." Cosmo Queen turned to Cy.

"Thank you." Then, she closed her eyes and breathed her last breath. Celton and Aundren bowed their heads in respect as Hufanse positioned her hands over her stomach. Cy placed her hand over her eyes to shield her tears, but they flowed out over her cheeks anyway. Hufanse pushed away the crown to let the Queen's hair flow out freely. The bright red color and the beauty still fresh upon her face reminded Hufanse painfully of Faiya. Even in death she was a beauty. He pushed away the crown with a scowl, and the Blue-Eyes tiara fell off and rolled away…

_Her daughter does not deserve this fate. I will save Faiya, with her mother's love and mine._


	16. Destroying the Flute!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 16: Destroying the Flute!

"Is he going to be okay?" Cy asked. Aundren and Hufanse didn't reply. They ran their hands over Svrion, looking to see where his wounds were and to what extent the damage had been done. Celton peered over their heads, worried for his sister's friend. Cy was the most concerned, biting her nails and hoping they wouldn't say he was beyond hope…

"I do not know," Aundren concluded, pulling back and sitting on his knees, his shoulders slouched in defeat. "I believe this is even worse than when we found Celton, and at that time we had another, more powerful witch at our side. Now, it is just the four of us. And I doubt any of us knows a good healing spell."

"I'm a warrior," Celton said. "I was not trained to heal more than minor bruises."

"I've only learned stuff that I discovered on the adventure," Cy explained. "I've never healed, even though Celton and Svrion have been hurt many times."

"Aundren and I don't heal anything besides Dragons." The four of them looked back at Svrion. He looked like he was peacefully sleeping if one ignored the many bruises and the odd coldness to his skin.

Cy looked down, tears forming in her eyes. She fingered _Spellblade_ absentmindedly and accidentally cut her finger. She yelped and sucked her pinky.

"What is it?" Aundren asked.

"Silly me, I cut my finger," Cy said. She pulled her finger back. There was a small scratch on the side of her smallest finger and it was starting to bleed again. Cy winced as she watched a small drop form and fall off her finger, right onto her precious sword. It hit the blade and vanished, sending waves throughout the silver metal. Cy narrowed her eyebrows.

"What the…?" She touched the blade and it started glowing a light blue. Before she could pull back, the blue spread up to her hand. When the glow faded, Cy gasped. Her finger was as good as new.

"Oh wow, talk about convenient," Hufanse said. Cy didn't need any hints; she knew what she had to do.

Crawling over to Svrion, she used the blade to make a small cut across his cheek. Three drops of blood immediately fell upon the blade. Cy then touched it to the fallen teenager's hand.

"_Spellblade Heal_!" she whispered. The sword turned blue once more. Glowing furiously, the aura spread to Svrion and enveloped his whole body. Slowly, it died down. When it vanished, Svrion looked like he was fast asleep in the untouched Witty Phantom clothes that looked fresh out of the laundry.

"Svrion…" Cy asked softly, her face near his. Everyone held their breaths, not knowing they were doing so. Slowly, Svrion opened one eye, then the next, until he was fully awake and looking around at everyone. He moaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He looked at his hand.

"Hey…I'm…okay…" At those words, the other four cheered. Cy was so happy that she threw her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him, and when he kissed back, the others found the time convenient to figure out that staring at the floor's design really hard made you dizzy.

Cy pulled back, grinned, and buried her head in Svrion's shoulder as her rubbed her back. "You did it, Cy," he whispered.

"I couldn't have without your help," she replied.

"Look at that," Celton muttered to Aundren and Hufanse, pretending to be angry. "She didn't make half the fuss for me…and I nearly got eaten by Dragons."

"I heard that!" Cy snapped.

"Oh, come on, Celton," Aundren said. "Cy has another man in her life. You, as her brother, must deal with that."

"I was afraid of that," Celton sighed.

"Besides," Cy added. "I know who's going to make a giant fuss about you back home, and I'm thinking after that you won't ask for any for another year."

"Our parents will be too busy praising us for saving the world," Celton said.

"No," Cy said, grinning. "I'm talking about someone else…"

"Before we digress further," Aundren intervened just as Celton was going to shoot something back. "We must decide what to do with the situation. I have figured out some key problems." His tone worried the others and they looked at him with questioning glances. "First of all, Cosmo Queen said she channeled her power through you, Cy. What did she do?" Cy thought for a moment.

"I don't know…I mean, I felt her power. But it just vanished through to the castle."

"Okay," Aundren looked at Hufanse, who shrugged. Celton repeated the action. Svrion and Cy looked at each other. "Second question. What did Cosmo Queen mean by being buried in the rubble of this Castle? It is still standing…err…floating."

"Maybe something will happen to it in the future," Svrion said. "Maybe…she just wanted to…"

"Wait a minute," Celton interrupted. "You guys are thinking about these two questions separate. Didn't Cosmo Queen say she wanted to be buried in the rubble and then channel the power through Cy? They're probably connected. Maybe as soon as we leave, her power will destroy the Castle."

"Let's hope it's after we leave," Cy said. "Or we will have problems."

"Now one more thing," Aundren said. He pointed across the large chamber to the place where the Flute lay, glowing and unharmed. "What shall we do with the Flute now that we have won possession of it."

"Destroy it, of course," Cy said. "We know it is making the Dragons evil." She got up, reluctantly though, since she didn't want to leave Svrion. She hurried over to the Flute and picked it up, running a hand over the jewels and the shape of it. "It's pretty, though." The others also got up and joined her.

"Well, how do we destroy it?" Svrion asked.

"I've already destroyed one before," Cy reminded them. "Maybe I can do it again."

"It's worth a shot," Hufanse said. Cy nodded, looked at the Flute once more, and turned it so she was holding the end of it in her palms. Then, with all her strength, she lifted it and smashed it against the floor.

However, it didn't break right away. Cy waited, as still as stone, as the others held their breaths for the second time. Finally, they heard an assuring crack. Well, assuring until they figured out exactly _what_ was cracking.

"Wait a minute," Svrion said, taking the Flute from Cy and ignoring her cry of protest. He fingered it and ran it his eyes over it. "The Flute is unharmed."

"Then what cracked?" Celton asked. Suddenly, the answer dawned on them as they all remembered the same words associated with the only other thing that could crack at that impact.

_…the rubble of this castle…_

They all looked down at their feet, dreading the worst. Sure enough, there was a crack as large as the Flute on the Castle floor. And it was spreading.

Before they had time to react, the Castle started to shake. Lightening bolts flared up again as the Castle, in pain, realized what was happening. Cy, Svrion, Celton, Hufanse, and Aundren were almost knocked off their feet. Only Aundren was calm enough to make a plan.

"Svrion! Take the Flute! Cy, take your sword! Hufanse, Celton…we must get Cosmo Queen's body!" The other struggled to their feet. The crack beneath them got wider, forcing them to rush away. Cy rushed to the steps to retrieve her sword, but a crack formed in front of her and pulled away, cutting off her access to the throne. Her sword lay helplessly on the three steps. She held out her hand, hoping her plan would work.

"_Spellblade…to my hand!_" The sword quivered, rose, and flew towards her. She caught the blade and immediately ducked out of the way as the ceiling began to collapse.

Meanwhile, Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton began to rush to Cosmo Queen, but chunks of the ceiling fell down in giant slabs of blue stone, blocking their path. As they watched in horror, the floor caved in and Cosmo Queen went with it. The three men ran backwards in order to avoid getting sucked in.

"She wanted to be buried there anyway," Celton said. "We must leave her!" The others nodded. They ran, joined Cy, and rushed towards the door. Svrion was already there, Flute in hand. He opened the way and the others raced out. Svrion let the doors go and they slammed shut.

Unfortunately, the tremor caused the Castle to fall apart faster. Just as they reached the entrance, the front doors creaked, shimmered, and crumbled along with the rest of the ceiling.

"Look out!" Almost at the same time, Celton, Svrion, Hufanse, and Aundren had this sudden idea to protect Cy. They pushed her down and covered her as the rocks rained down upon them.

"We need to get out of here!" Cy called out as the clash of rocks grew louder, the pounding assaulting their ears. The Castle lurched to the side, moaning, indicating that it was getting ready to fall out of the sky.

"That is evident, but how?" Cy couldn't answer Aundren's question, even though she was deep in thought. She looked at her sword, _Spellblade_. She considered transforming it into some sort of aircraft, but that would take even more power than it was needed to conjure it up in the first place. But, she had to try to get that power.

"I have an idea," Cy shouted. The other four crouched around her, ears ready to listen. The other side of the Castle started to fall. In moments, the falling stones, the crash of the wall, and the deafening roar would cease and the Castle would plummet to the earth. "But I need more power…Svrion. You need to kiss me." Svrion blinked, and the others gaped.

"What the…?"

"Kiss me or die!" Seemed like a good enough reason. The others knew this was a good time to see if counting the falling stones was pointless or not.

Svrion, slightly confused, put out his hand behind her neck and pulled her forward. Cy put her hand that was not on _Spellblade_ on Svrion's shoulder as she reached out and touched his hand with _Spellblade_ and her own. Their lips met and the sword sparkled. But Cy knew even this was not enough power. It was growing in strength, but there just wasn't enough.

"Forty-three…"

"Fifty-nine…"

"Sixty-two…"

Cy pressed harder, craving for more. She was enjoying, yes, but the point was also the sword. It was glowing slightly more furiously, and she could feel that pulse within her grow stronger. It was getting there…

The Castle lurched.

The other three counted.

Time slowed to a trickle…

Cy pressed her palm against the sword, nearly cutting her hand. Her plan was failing. They had a grant total of a few seconds in which to save themselves…Svrion sensed her urgency. He let his tongue slip over her lips and inside her mouth, battling with hers when they met…

The sword was about to burst. It glowed so blue it turned red from the effort. Cy pulled away immediately, blushing nearly as red. Svrion wanted to protest, but she stood up. The others looked at her. She had an unnerving twinkle in her eye, suggesting that she had more power than she could ever imagine having…and was about to use it…

The Castle fell just as Cy raised her sword into the air.

"_Spellblade Magic Rush…Phoenix!_" She drove the blade into Castle. The others gave a yell as the structure dropped so quickly they felt like being sick.

Suddenly, they were all filled with an emotion that made them feel like they were floating. The sword grew, doubling, tripling, quadruplingin size, and getting bigger every moment until it finally exploded into a large bird with flaming wings. Celton, Svrion, Cy, Aundren, and Hufanse held onto its fiery feathers desperately as it clawed at the air, lifting into the sky just as the Castle crashed into the forest. The floor seemed to vibrate from the impact.

Svrion clutched the Flute, amazed as he looked down. Cy felt like fainting. Whether it was from the effort or that wonderful kiss…she had no idea. Celton and Hufanse hugged each other and broke out into uncontrollable sobbing, which was very unlike them. Aundren rolled his eyes, but he had a huge grin on his face anyway.

Svrion looked back at Cy. "You know…we should finish that sometime." Cy blushed furiously.

………

"Your Highness, you mean…you've sent them on their way? But the lightning…"

"Don't worry, I simmered it down. I just hope that final thunderbolt didn't shock them. It was quite big." Faiya rushed down the streets of the Dark Kingdom, returning from gathering up all the members of COLD. Unfortunately, they only numbered a pitiful seven.

The one who had spoken to Faiya was one of the older members, a Dark Witch named Equora. In fact, Faiya had been her apprentice ever since she ran away from the Castle. The others were all men, mostly Lords of Dragons and one Dragon Master Knight. Returning from the sendoff of Celton, Aundren, and Hufanse…this combo made Faiya uncomfortable even though she had never felt anything against it before.

This group of seven looked oddly out of place. The other residents had gone inside their homes once the lightning had flared up, and these people were the only ones out. They pressed forward with a strange determination on their face.

The seven reached Shadow Town rather quickly. They looked up and saw the Castle floating above the forest. It looked dangerously close from this Town, yet it was still quite far away.

Just as COLD prepared to get some aircrafts to use, a band of Witty Phantoms and Lord of Dragons blocked their paths.

"It's you…" one of them said, the one Faiya recognized as the Lord she had seduced. "I knew there was something strangely familiar about you, Princess…"

"So, you know," Faiya stated calmly, though on the inside she was anxious to get up to the floating fortress as quickly as possible. She shot them an annoyed glance that a princess might give her lower advisors.

"It's obvious," another Witty Phantom continued. "We compared the pictures of when the princess first escaped and sure enough, it was remarkably similar. Besides, we've been sensing the movements of COLD for a few months now, having spies that have figured out about its existence. I'm sure this whole thing was planned out by your 'clandestine' organization."

"Actually," Faiya replied. "It was not." She stopped as she noticed the Witty Phantoms were giving her group a nasty, hostile glare. She knew if there was any chance of them getting to the Flute, they would have to fight their way through.

Faiya summoned her sword, and the others followed suit. The Witty Phantoms, expecting this, got ready for the battle as well. However, they had an advantage. As soon as the residents of this town realized what was going on, they joined the battle on the Dark Kingdom side. Soon, COLD's opponents ranged from not only Witty Phantoms but also other Dark Witches, Dragon Humans, and even young Blue-Eyes White Dragons in training. Faiya cringed.

Suddenly, a resounding crack split the air as a giant thunderbolt raced across the sky. Faiya looked up, horrified. She had cast a spell to calm the Castle…what was getting it to act up again? The Shadow Town warriors also looked up, confused.

Suddenly, a sickly black wave shot down from the Castle and swept through the Town. Faiya recognized it immediately as traces of magic from the tiara her mother always wore. The wave disappeared after a few seconds, and COLD braced themselves for the worst.

Instead of what they feared, they got a surprising reaction.

"What's going on?" asked the same Witty Phantom who had spoken earlier, looking around. The other residents moaned and grabbed their heads. Suddenly, one of them noticed Faiya.

"It's the Princess!" he shouted. All eyes were on her as all of the hundred warriors bent on one knee and bowed to her.

"Your Highness," they chorused. Faiya blinked, stepping back. The COLD members looked at each other with puzzling expressions.

"What…the…you…all…" Faiya looked at Equora for the older woman could probably handle the situation a lot better than the surprised princess.

"Stand up, everyone," the Dark Witch ordered. The Shadow Town residents got to their feet, bowing their head slightly to who seemed obviously the Princess's second-in-command. The Dark Witch raised her eyebrows. "What is the meaning of all this?"

"I beg your pardon," the Lord of Dragons said. "But the last thing I remember is the crowning of King Jinzo and Cosmo Queen and being at their ceremony. How did I get here…how did we all get here?"

"The wave!" Faiya announced and everyone looked at her. "Equora…they've all been under a spell!"

"Yeah!" Equora muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "A spell that made them fight against you and harm you." The Shadow Town residents all looked surprised.

"We fought against the Princess?" some of them whispered.

"I offer my most sincere apologies," the Witty Phantom said, kneeling once again. Everyone behind him did the same, mumbling apologies with their heads bowed.

"Okay, get up all of you!" Faiya said, sick of this sudden treatment. Equora and COLD never treated her like royalty because she had ordered them not to. The Shadow Town residents seemed so eager to please her she was ready to vomit.

"Tell us what we may do to serve you," the Lord of Dragons said. Faiya rolled her eyes, mentally being sick.

"You can start by telling us if the Dragons were cursed too." The Lord of Dragons looked at his mount and communicated telepathically, something only the Dragon and its owner could do. After a long period of silence in which the beast and the warrior stared at each other, the Lord looked back at Faiya.

"It appears that the Dragon was in fact under the spell too, but since its memory works differently than ours, he can actually remember some things."

"Really," Faiya asked. "Like what?"

"Well…" the Lord paused for more conversation with his Dragon. "It appears that before the crowning of the queen, only a select few of the Dragons were bred as 'beasts', but as soon as they came into power, every Dragon was somehow 'transformed'."

"So…" Faiya interrupted, "You mean to say that it's the spell from the tiara that was controlling both the people _and _the Dragons?"

"Apparently," replied the Lord. "Why, what else do you think was controlling the Dragons?"

"The Flute…" the Princess answered meekly, hoping that the Flute wasn't doing something other than that.

"Oh no, you've gotten the facts slightly mistaken," the Lord said. "The Flute controls the Dragons, yes, but it merely keeps them tame and lets them talk to us. Without it, we cannot communicate telepathically. And also, without its power, the Dragons will lose the 'human' mental abilities, the ones we tend to use to separate 'civil' from 'savage'."

"So…right now everything's okay, right?" Equora queried. "The tiara spell is gone, and the Dragons are safe as long as the Flute is still kept in that Castle safely."

It was almost as if her words had cursed the Castle. Suddenly, there was a whoosh of air. The Shadow Town residents and COLD just noticed that the Castle was falling apart. They hadn't had the time to look up at it before. But now, it was tearing down to the earth. With a sickening crash, the castle collided with the forest before it exploded, shaking the earth and sending blocks of hard rock into the air.

"RUN!" The large group ran for their lives as giant pieces of debris destroyed the first few buildings of the Town. Faiya looked up and saw a giant phoenix, or some other bird that resembled it, soaring through the sky and landing on the other side of the Town. She narrowed her eyes.

_So right now everything's okay, right…the Dragons are safe as long as the Flute is still kept in that Castle safely._

"Damn it!" Faiya muttered as she started apart from the other running residents, taking a path that would lead her towards what she thought was Celton, Aundren, and… Hufanse.

_Hufanse…what the heck am I saying? I don't have time for that now. I just hope they don't get the crazy idea to destroy the Flute…_

………

"So, this is it!" Cy exclaimed, hopping off of the phoenix. The others dismounted just as quickly. When all five of them were safe on the earth, the giant bird screeched one more time before shrinking. When it was a sword's length, it shimmered blue and turned back into _Spellblade_.

"Wow, thank goodness," Aundren remarked. "We must be thankful that Cy had learned to acquire such power." Cy grinned.

"So, what about the Flute?" Svrion asked, holding out the item. Cy took it in her arms, ran a hand over its jeweled surface one more time, and set it on the ground.

"_Spellblade_ still has a tiny bit of magic left…" Cy explained. "Enough to destroy it. But are you sure we should?"

"I think we have to," Hufanse said. "It's for the good of the Dragons, cause it's controlling them and making them evil."

"Alright then," Celton said. "Cy…do it." Cy nodded in agreement and brought the shining blade above her head. Just as she brought it down as hard as she could, they heard a rustle in the trees nearby.

"NO!" Faiya exclaimed, running out from the path in the small group of trees. It was too late. The sharp sword made contact with the Flute with a crack that the group knew was definitely the Flute. A bright light formed on impact and spread along the item until it formed a line splitting the Flute exactly in half.

With one small groan, the two sides of the Flute fell apart. Faiya's heart sank to her knees.

_Oh…no…_


	17. Heart of the Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 17: Heart of the Dragons

"Faiya?" Hufanse asked, looking at her. He was so surprised by her presence he didn't even think to be angry that she had asked him to forget her. She looked at him with a worried expression.

"What have you done?" she whispered, looking at the two pieces of the Flute.

"Who are you?" Cy and Svrion asked simultaneously, looking at the new arrival.

"She is Princess Faiya of the Dark Kingdom, daughter of Cosmo Queen and Jinzo," Aundren explained. "Can you not tell the resemblance?" Cy and Svrion gasped.

"Princess…princess?" Cy cried. "Oh my gosh! Royalty! What an honor to meet you, your Highness."

"Oh please don't do that," Faiya said. The others were puzzled. She looked exhausted. Not physically, of course, because her curse or blessing prevented that. But, for some reason, she looked like she had just lost a battle that was thought to be won.

"Is something wrong?" Celton asked. Faiya nodded, picking up the pieces of the Flute and shaking her head.

"No. This can't be…"

"Faiya, that Flute is evil. We had to destroy it," Hufanse explained.

"No! You don't understand!" Faiya said, turning to face all of them. "The Dragons…the people…they were not controlled by this. They were controlled by the spell placed by my mother. And…something happened that released everyone."

"Your mother…" Cy said slowly. "She died…" Faiya nodded.

"That was the only way to free herself and the others from the curse."

"That's not the only way," Hufanse insisted, like he had at Cosmo Queen's death.

"Oh shut up, Hufanse," Faiya snapped. Cy and Svrion jumped slightly at the young princess's sudden harshness.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm not going to forget you. You might as well forget me forgetting," Hufanse shot back. "Your mother told me to save you, and Ra damn it I will!" Cy and Svrion looked at Celton confused. He put a finger over his lips to signal that they should just remain silent.

"_Anyway_," Faiya said, the word stressed to indicate she wanted no more of the argument. "The people and the Dragons were not controlled by this Flute. They were controlled by the curse that has now lifted."

"Then what purpose does the Flute play in all of this?" Aundren asked. Faiya cringed.

"That is why I was worried by this. The Flute lets us communicate with the Dragons and gives them human thoughts. You can kind of say that the Flute makes the Dragons…good."

"So…" Svrion reasoned. "We destroyed the thing that was making them evil and then destroyed the thing that was making them good, which means we've exposed the third layer which is…good? Bad?"

"Beast." Faiya's words sent shivers through the group. "The Dragons are kept in sections with restraints…this will cause panic and an uproar. The newly recovering people will not be ready for this. They all think they were at the king and queen's celebration until now."

"So we must go back!" Cy cried. "Back to Shadow Town. Back to the Dark Kingdom. If we don't, the Dragons might start…"

"Too late…" Svrion pointed out, showing where, past the treetops of the forest, the Dragons had all taken flight and were all heading in the same direction. The sunlight glinted off of their scales to make sparkles in the direction they were headed. This was when the group realized the bad clouds had also disappeared with the fall of the Castle. At least the residents would get a warning.

"Hurry!" Faiya cried, and she rushed back through the path she came, the other five following her the best they could. That was when Hufanse noticed that though the curse over the residents had been lifted, Faiya looked the same as she always had. She still had the beauty, the strength, the health…Hufanse realized the spell had not really been broken.

_It's just living somewhere. It could have seeped out of the falling Castle and be living in the very air right now. Faiya is in danger every second. The Curse has destroyed the body it previously was in. Faiya's the only one left. Faiya will be captured soon by the spell. I wonder if there's a way to prevent it before it really starts…_

The six of them raced through the group of trees back to Shadow Town, hoping to take the shortcut back to the Kingdom. Faiya showed them the quickest way. While they ran, each one of them hoped that they weren't too late. Hufanse and Aundren wondered if their brothers were free from the spell too. That way, they might have some chance since those two were the highest-ranking warriors.

As they hurried through Shadow Town, Faiya passed a few quick words to the members of COLD as they whipped past them. Equora, the leader, immediately began to gather up the warriors in the area. They had all been stunned when the Dragons had started to rear and panic, snapping their bindings and flying into the air. Now Equora helped the remaining Dragons escape as well to avoid injury to the men. Then, she gave everyone directions and they all mounted the aircrafts.

"What…did…you…tell…them…to…do?" Svrion panted as he strained to keep up with the princess. The others didn't even have enough energy to speak at the moment.

"They're going to see whether they can get back control over the Dragons…" Faiya did not show the least bit of fatigue in her voice or her breathing. The others secretly wished they could have had that blessing.

………

The first blast rained down upon the unsuspecting Kingdom. People cried out in horror as the tallest house was shattered by the blue lightning blow, crumbling to the ground as its inhabitants were crushed instantly. Soon, screams followed as the people out on their front yards or shopping in the market ran for cover.

The army of Dragons soared through the sky, blasting and burning at will. They did not know what had come over them any more than the people did. The removal of the curse and the link with the humans made them panic, and the only thing they had were the instincts to destroy their enemies. Blinded by confusion, they aimlessly threw their attacks upon the Kingdom.

Luckily, some of the Dragon Shields had already been prepared. A few of the powerful blasts were absorbed and thrown out into the sky. Unfortunately, the majority of the power shots hit their mark. As people shouted and fled, houses and market stalls were vaporized one by one. From far up on the hill, the Light Kingdom warriors that had come to talk peace with the Dark Kingdom royals and rescue Cy, Svrion, and Celton – who were thought to be kidnapped by this evil Kingdom – looked upon the scene with horror. Among them stood Neo the magic Swordsman, the Dark Sage, and several healers such as Mysti, Clarrisa, and Renalyn.

"What is going on?" asked Dark Sage Morlen, looking up at the crazed beasts.

"I do not know…this is really strange," Neo replied, his eyes trailing all of them. Then he squinted, for in the distance behind them, he saw something else that was surely flying smoother than the Dragons. That 'something else' soon multiplied into a whole set.

"Look…the aircrafts! Are they going to battle with the Dragons?"

As the Light Kingdom residents pondered the situation, down below, Faiya, Hufanse, Aundren, Cy, Svrion, and Celton appeared just as a building nearby was hit. The six ran for cover as the building crashed down behind them, making the ground vibrate with the impact. The shudder caused Cy to trip, falling on Svrion who fell on the others. The six sprawled to the floor, looking up in fear as the Dragons circled above them.

"Maybe _Spellblade_ can help?" Cy offered. Faiya shook her head.

"I do not think hurting them is going to do much, we must try to connect with them!"

"But our link is lost!" Celton protested, just as all the Dragons combined their attacks and blasted through the street of buildings behind the group. The buildings vaporized, sending black smoke rushing through the air. The six coughed violently, shutting their burning eyes. The smoke cut off the view the pilots of the aircrafts had. They looked in confusion as they lost sight of the princess.

"Hurry!" Hufanse whispered, getting to his feet. He reached down and felt Faiya's face. She was sitting. Since he couldn't see her, he used his hands to position her face so it was in his direction.

"Do you have any ideas?" she asked him. Hufanse shook his head, partly to shake off the smoke near his eyes.

"No…ouch!" Hufanse turned, feeling around behind him. Sure enough, his cloak had been snatched and taken. Then, he felt air on the side of his neck. The smoke around him cleared. A few feet to the side, he saw Cy and Svrion frantically moving the cloak up and down as a fan to clear the smoke.

"Good idea," Faiya said. When he felt her jaw move, Hufanse realized he had been holding it and dropped his hand abruptly. A chilling roar dragged the new blush away from his face. The Dragons hadn't forgotten them.

"What do we do now?" Celton yelled as the Dragons roared again, charging towards them. The six looked up in the sky frantically, hoping to find something that might help them.

That's when the fighter aircrafts came into view. At full speed, they whipped past the beasts as the occupants launched attacks upon the gleaming scales. Angered, the Dragons charged upon the aircrafts as they struggled to keep far from the dangerous blasts flying freely from the provoked creatures. Meanwhile, on the ground, the six gathered all the men to come up with a plan as the women and children were rushed to the stable buildings that were equipped with Dragons Shields.

"What should we do?" a man asked, looking urgently at the princess. She was tense and nervous, her mind seemingly jumbled in confusion from this attack. Usually, she always had an answer. However, now she stood there blankly staring at the man who had spoken.

"You suggested that we try to link with them," Aundren offered to Faiya. "Perhaps we should try this method?"

"How are we going to link to them?" Celton demanded as he pointed towards the battle going on above with the Dragons and the aircrafts. "The Flute's gone too."

"This is horrible!" Cy cried, leaning her head against Svrion. "It's a battle lost."

"There is still a chance!"

The group of men and women turned towards the new speaker. He was dressed in the robes of a Dragon Master Knight and he had a Lord of Dragons companion with him. Behind him followed a few more guards, some of whom were recognized. Aundren and Hufanse gaped.

"Randren?"

"Harsh?" Celton noticed the followers.

"Sinth?"

The group of Dark Kingdom warriors approached the princess and bowed low. Then, Randren spoke first.

"It appears my memory is a bit foggy, and the last thing I can recollect is the ceremony of our king and queen. Only a few moments ago it was reported that they have now departed this Realm and are on their way to better places. My most sincere sympathies, dear Princess."

"Continue," she replied briefly, used to hearing the news by now. Randren turned to his brother.

"And my most sincere apologies to you, little brother, for I have been told by my Dragons, when I could still communicate to them of course, that I was not particularly kind to you in the time that my memory chooses not to disclose."

"And I better apologize to you to," Harsh said, going over to his brother and putting an arm around his shoulder. "I learned the same, and I guess I better catch up on what really happened at a later time."

"But for now," Randren said. "As I stated earlier, there is still a chance. I was taught that it is the bond that we share with our Dragons that really controls them, not the Flute. In fact, the Flute came later, after the bond was established. The original legend was greatly skewed to include its making."

"Of course," Cy exclaimed. "He told us that night when we were spying on them at the campfire. Why did I not remember it?"

"So you believe we can still connect with the Dragons?" Aundren asked.

"That iswhat I said, is it not?" Randren looked at Harsh and then at Aundren, who looked at Hufanse who looked at Faiya. Faiya looked at the others, who shrugged back. It was decided: it was worth a shot.

"Equora!" Faiya shouted into the sky, holding up a blue firelight. The signal brought all the aircrafts down from the sky, except for a few that were to hold the Dragons' attention. The Dark Witch ran over to the princess.

"Everybody, listen!" Faiya commanded. "The only way to stop the Dragons is to try to connect to them. With or without the Flute. The connection must be established. Choose a Dragon and try to reach for its heart. You've done it before. This time, just pretend the Flute is still there. We must try this!" Her words rang out throughout what was now a large crowd. They all shouted in agreement before spreading out throughout the ruined streets of the Kingdom.

Each warrior picked a Dragon, and like in training to their position, tried to imagine the Dragon right in front of them. Then, they reached out with an arm in their mind and felt for the heart.

Aundren and Hufanse worked together on the leading Dragon, the biggest of the group. They pressed their palms together and imaged the Dragon before them, pouring out with their heart.

At first they felt a little resistance. This was natural. No creature liked to have its privacy invaded by some unknown presence. However, there was something different about this block.

It was cold and icy, just like the soul-freezing glare of the Blue-Eyes. And it seemed to be enveloping the heart with such a passion that for all their mental prodding, Aundren and Hufanse could not pry it off. The others seemed to be in a similar situation from the expressions on their faces and tightly shut eyes. Luckily for the others, like Harsh and Randren, the sticky cape on the Dragon hearts was easy to pry off. The one shadowing the leader was not.

"There's…something…wrong…" Hufanse muttered to Faiya, struggling because he was straining to put all his energy on concentrating. Faiya narrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" she asked.

"Something is there," Aundren replied. "It is some sort of barrier we cannot penetrate."

"Maybe we can help?" Cy offered, looking at Svrion and Celton as they nodded. Hufanse extended his hand and the three of them took it, pouring their energy though they had no training to know exactly what they were doing. They simply focused on Hufanse, Aundren, and the Dragon. Their power worked. The sickly cover was sliding off.

"I've done it!" shouted one of the nearby warriors. At that moment, a single Dragon roared and reared back in the sky. But instead of a blast, a small blue spark flew out of its open mouth. Soon, that Dragon's cry was followed by many others as sparks gathered on each Dragon's nose.

"What is that?" Hufanse asked, pulling his head away and forgetting the concentration at the strange sight. His Dragon found this the best time to put up the resistance he had been waiting for. With a jerk of his head and a scream that jarred the earth, the Dragon tore out of the grasp and flew towards the ground at amazing speed.

"Look out!" everyone cried and scattered. The Dragon was plummeting to the earth. The ground below it was a flurried mess of fleeing people. In the midst of them, Hufanse, Aundren, Cy, Svrion, and Celton stood rooted to the spot, looking out for Faiya who had mysteriously disappeared.

"Duck!" Equora screamed. By instinct, the five obeyed. The Dragon swooped down, lashing with its tail. The scaled made impact with a woman, slamming her into a nearby building. Hufanse cried out in horror as he realized whom it was.

"FAIYA!" Despite his friends' protests, he ran towards her, fighting past people who were going in the opposite direction. The Dragon soared up once again.

Hufanse reached Faiya, dropping on his left side next to her. Faiya had her eyes squeezed shut and was breathing heavily. Propped up on one arm, he took his right hand and held both her hands.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. The warriors stopped as they realized what had happened, the few who had found shelter peaking out behind rubble and scattered pieces of debris. Faiya slowly opened her eyes.

"Something's awakening," she said weakly. "Something in my heart!" Hufanse gripped her hand tighter.

"It's the curse! Don't let it take you!"

"Hufanse, I can't stop it! I-I-," Faiya sighed once before her head dropped to the side. Hufanse mouthed the word 'no' before shaking her.

Suddenly, a blue light started to pulse on her breast right above her heart. Starting faintly, it slowly grew in intensity until it was a glowing blue wave of power that rippled out in circles all around and into the sky. This power affected the blue sparks in some way, and they all gathered towards the leader Dragon. In a bright flash of light, the power was absorbed into the Dragon.

As everyone watched in awe, the Dragon grew in size. Doubling, tripling…its wings nearly blocked out the sky. Its long neck arched over till its nose neared the Princess, and its claws were each as long as a man. The tail swept side to side, covering the land in a shadow wherever the wings had not already blotted out the light. Its gleaming blue eyes glared viciously at the couple as they lay there defenseless. The entire body was cloaked in shadow so dark it looked like the essence of a nightmare.

"_Poor, pitiful princess,_" it spoke. Hufanse gripped the princess so hard even his hand hurt. He did not care how big that thing was.

"What do you want?" he snapped. The evil Dragon chuckled.

"_I want her! I cannot live in this body! I need her body! Don't worry. She has great beauty, great health, and great power in return! Give her to me!_" Hufanse's eyes darkened in realization.

"You are the Curse!" he cried. The Dark Dragon chuckled again.

"_Why yes…awfully observant, aren't you? Don't even think about protecting your little princess from me. I have so much power you cannot fathom. You have heard that much from my princess, haven't you?_"

"You will not have her!" Hufanse exclaimed. The others gathered quite a bit away stared up at the Dragon in fear and wondered how it was that the young Lord of Dragons had enough bravery to stand against it.

"_You can't stop me! What will you do to shield yourself? I will enter her heart quietly and painlessly. She won't know the difference…only you will…_"

"I said you will not have her!" Hufanse insisted, staring up at the cold, gleaming eyes as they malevolently glared back. A thousand ideas ran through his head, but he knew none of them were plausible. How could he save Faiya?

"_You speak without knowing, boy!_"

"You…will…not…have…her!" Hufanse clenched his teeth in anger. He was also frustrated that he couldn't think of a way to save Faiya, who lay helplessly beside him. The Dark Dragon screeched and rose up into the air, glowing black as he did so. Hufanse looked over at the others. Cy, Svrion, Aundren, Celton, Equora and all the others…they looked so worried. And so lost. How could they protect themselves from that giant beast of pure shadow?

_I need power_, Hufanse thought. _This is a way to stop it before it starts, to prevent the curse. But I don't have enough **power**. Wait…wait…power? Cy had so much power. But where did she get it from…wait, of course! That kiss! But I can't just…_

**_I will save Faiya, with your love and mine_.**

_Those words…I promised Cosmo Queen. And that's what I'll do! Love is stronger than any shadow…the strongest light in any darkness…_

"_I will crush you if that's what it takes to get that princess. Think you can stand up to me?_" The Dark Dragon jeered, interrupting Hufanse's thoughts. He glared up at the Dragon.

"**Try me!**" The Dragon chuckled and dived down towards him. He flew at such lightning speed that the air around him split with a resounding crack, sending sickly black waves in every direction. Hufanse narrowed his eyes, turned back to Faiya, and kissed her lips.


	18. Let's Celebrate!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 18: Let's Celebrate!

The whole kingdom seemed to gasp as the Evil Dragon collided with Hufanse and Faiya on the ground, sending a shock wave blasting down in every direction. Dust and smoke clouded the impact area.

"Hufanse! Faiya! No!" Cy cried, trying to rush forward, but Svrion held her back.

"Hold on…there's something…blue…"

"What?" The Kingdom's residents murmured as the Dragon screamed in agony, flying out of the smoke. At the very heart of the black cloud a blue light pulsed. Steadily, it grew bigger and bigger until it exploded. The people standing to watch felt nothing as it brushed past them, but the Dragon was squirming in the air. Screaming and flailing, the Dragon was wiped away into a streak of sickly black substance that slowly broke apart with the last of the blue power.

As soon as the smoke and the light had vanished, Cy, Svrion, Aundren, and Celton rushed forward. Hufanse was crouched next to Faiya, holding both her hands. As the foursome approached, Faiya's eyes fluttered open.

"What…what…what happened?" she asked, looking up at Hufanse. "I'm so… tired…and hungry, and thirsty. And I feel sleepy." She sat up, clutching her head. "And I have a headache. This hasn't happened ever."

"Quick!" Hufanse said. "Do something…make fire! Anything magic!" Faiya held out her hand. She stared at it with such intensity that her hand would have caught fire, but it didn't. She leaned back with a sigh.

"Oh Hufanse! My magic's gone! That means the Curse has lifted! No wonder I feel so tired." Hufanse grinned, got to his feet, and helped her up.

"I told you so!" he teased, and she promptly slapped him on the arm while the rest grinned as well.

"But however did you do it?" she asked. Hufanse blushed and the others chuckled.

"Oh…well…now…that's not important now is it?"

"Of course it is. Tell me."

"I don't want another slap, Faiya. And besides, it's over now!"

"Oh come on, please tell me!"

"Princess! You're alright!" Faiya glared at Hufanse before turning to her people. They all crowded around her. Equora grumbled as she fought her way to the center.

"My apprentice…" she said. Faiya shook her head.

"My magic's gone. I can't become a Dark Witch anymore."

"It matters not," Equora explained. "You're the princess. And since your parents have passed and this Kingdom obviously needs some repairing, you need to be queen. And you must marry to do so." Faiya glanced around the Kingdom. Indeed it was in ruins. The few buildings spared were the once under the Shields, and those devices had taken heavy damage. Street after street lay torn up as the buildings on either side were little but crumbled stone on the ground. Faiya turned to Hufanse for a second before turning back to Equora with a questioning glance.

"How was I saved?" Faiya asked her former teacher. Equora smiled.

"Your friend over there was very brave. He stood against the Dragon even though it was monstrous in size. While others were paralyzed in fear, he alone lay by your side and protected you." Faiya looked over at Hufanse, who nervously chuckled as he put a hand behind his shoulder and backed up.

"But the question is…how did he protect me?"

"Well…he kissed you."

"He…wha-?"

"It makes sense!" Cy cut in. "After all, whenever I had that sword to protect me…it was really my love for Svrion that helped give it power." Faiya blinked at her and then coughed.

"Okay then, to some _other_ things." She put a hand to her face as if thinking seriously about the situation, but everyone close could see she was blushing like crazy.

"Like your new duties," Equora said. "For you will be crowned queen…when you marry…so you will have to choose a suitor soon…"

"Oh…no…" Faiya said. "Not the suitor business!"

"You could always marry me," Hufanse joked, and Faiya laughed. The others started laughing with her as well. No one seemed to notice when Faiya stopped abruptly with a blush on her face.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind…" she said softly. But Hufanse heard that, and he stopped. Cy, Svrion, and Celton noticed he stopped and caught the next giggle in their throats. Aundren and Equora paused to stare at the five of them, and soon the rest of the Kingdom caught the wave and stopped as well.

"You wouldn't mind?" Hufanse asked. "Is that a yes to a question I really wasn't asking but now am asking anyway cause you might say yes?" Faiya blinked.

"I suppose…"

"Suppose what?"

"I'm confused, what's going on!" Cy cried out. Equora smiled, patting the young Dark Magician Girl-to-be on the shoulder.

"Wedding bells!" the Dark Witch cried, clamping her hands on Faiya and Hufanse's shoulders as they stood blushing at each other. "The next king and queen of Dark Kingdom. Ra save us!" Aundren, Celton, and Svrion gaped.

"But…what…who…" Celton stuttered. "That was…quick. Er, congratulations?" Hufanse grinned and took Faiya's hand. Just then, five people fought their way through the crowd and burst into the circle. Cy didn't even have time to react before her mother and sister were upon her and nearly choking her with their hugs.

"Oh my child! What's happened to you! Oh your safe!" cried Mysti.

"Iumf…fuh!" Cy struggled to say from behind the Mystical Elf's shoulder.

"Well, we knew you would be found alive!" Clarrisa declared matter-of-factly, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder and glancing around. At the same time, Aundren looked away from Hufanse and Faiya and saw the young healer. Their eyes met and neither moved.

"I told you!" whispered Celton to Svrion. "First you and then Cy. For goodness sakes, she didn't even get hurt. Why does no one ever make a fuss about me?"

"Cy said that someone would make a lot of fuss about you," Svrion replied. Before Celton could ask who that might be, a young Magician of Faith also burst in on the scene.

"Oh Celton! Darling!" The almost-Dark Magician didn't have time to react when the girl ran into his arms, sobbing her head off. "I thought you had died! Sweetheart! I can't believe you are still alive! Are you hurt! Are you okay! I'll never let you out of my sight again!" She was crying so loudly that everyone had stopped what he or she was doing to stare at the couple. Celton uneasily blushed and tried to shake out of Renalyn's embrace, but she became angry.

"Now, listen to me!" she scolded. "Don't go running off to some evil place without telling me first! You could have died!" This idea seemed to be too saddening for her to comprehend, so she once again dissolved into tears as she hugged her boyfriend. Celton looked over helplessly at Cy, who was snickering at him.

"Wow!" Hufanse gasped. He turned to Faiya with a grin on his face. "You better _never_ do that to me!" Faiya chuckled, then turned to Aundren.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked. Hufanse turned to see his friend seemingly paralyzed and staring off into space.

"Aundren? Hello?" Hufanse snapped his fingers but Aundren did not move. He stood there, straight and tall with his feet together, eyes glued to some unknown object and his mouth open as if to speak. Hufanse followed the Knight's gaze to some girl he supposed to be Cy's sister – they looked so similar – and frowned. He looked between them several times before realization dawned on him. He couldn't contain his new discovery.

"Oh…my…gosh!" Hufanse burst out into peals of laughter, walking right between Aundren and Clarrisa. Everyone turned to him wondering what was going on. This broke the gaze between Aundren and Clarrisa. He shook his head as she lowered her eyes and blushed. Then his mind blanked. Luckily, Faiya was still there. She gave him a nudge.

"Go talk to her!" she said.

"What should I say?"

"Say something!" the princess hissed as she gave him a push. Aundren caught himself from stumbling as he neared the Magician of Faith.

"Why hello…" he started, then paused, looking up at the sky. "It is a pleasant day today, isn't it?" Clarrisa looked up, seeing all the Dragons lined up in the air.

"Of course, for a Dragon Master Knight." Aundren chuckled and looked down at her. She blushed again.

"So…well, I am Aundren. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Clarrisa. Same." She held out her hand, and he shook it. By this time, Hufanse had told Cy, Svrion, Celton, and Renalyn.

"Awwwwwwwwww," Cy cooed audibly, making Aundren and Clarrisa stare at her. "It's love at first sight!"

"It is not!" Clarrisa snapped in response to her sibling's snickers as she blushed furiously.

"Then why are you still holding his hand?" Svrion asked. Clarrisa looked back at his hand.

"Err…" she calmly withdrew her arm. "For…no…reason…"

"Let us not be bothered by them," Aundren said, giving 'them' a glance. This immediately made Cy, Svrion, Celton, and Hufanse burst into giggles. "I would be very happy if we could meet some other time, without my bothersome friends. Perhaps we could?"

"You mean like a…like a date?" Clarrisa asked, too startled to word it any other way. Aundren shrugged.

"Yes." Clarrisa stared at him.

"Well…yeah…of course…um…yeah!"

"Oh no!" Mysti moaned as soon as she heard that, clutching her husband Neo. "My children! They're growing up so fast!"

"Snap out of it, Mysti. We still have Cyrrielle. That is, if she hasn't found someone as well." The two looked over at Cy and she smiled, resting her head on Svrion's shoulder. "Then again…maybe we can go on a second honeymoon when these kids are gone!"

"NEO!" Dark Sage Morlen cried out as he went over to his friend and gave him a pat on the back.

"Why hello, Sage Morlen…"

"It seems my great-great-great-great-great-grandchild has taken a fancy to your daughter."

"So I have seen."

"I was under the impression that when you first arrested Svrion, you and Cyrrielle weren't on very good terms with each other…"

"Yes. I never did want her to be different."

"You can't avoid that now. She's more different than the rest of us than she can ever be. She's a hero!"

………

A few days later, Cy awoke in her own soft bed, covered in her own soft mattress with her head resting on her own soft pillow. She had never felt happier to be home. Unfortunately, she could not rest long. She had been given a few days break, along with Svrion, for her whole adventure. But now, it was Monday and it was time to start school…again.

After a quick shower – in which Cy thanked the Gods for warm water and soap – the teenager donned her new outfit, since the old one was in no condition to parade around the streets in. This one was the same design as the old one, but pink and purple instead. Mysti had told her daughter that it would go along great with Svrion's outfit. Later, Cy would agree that it did.

Gloves, helmet, boot, necklace. Cy raced downstairs in full gear once again. This time, Celton and Clarrisa did not greet her in their normal way. Celton grinned at her and gave her a thumbs-up. Clarrisa smiled and twirled her spoon in her cereal absent-mindedly. She didn't even look at Cy.

_Aundren_, Cy mentally sighed as she rushed past her sister to get some breakfast.

"Good morning!" Mysti greeted as she glided into the kitchen. "Stop eating like a maniac, Celton. Clarrisa, get your mind off of that boy! Cy, my darling, what would you like to eat? Neo…fix your hair!"

The Magic Swordsman walked in fully dressed but not fully groomed, reading a newspaper and biting into a bagel at the same time. He grinned at his daughter.

"Want to look?" He turned the paper around to show the front page. Cy gasped. Her picture was pasted smack dab in the middle of the page, taking up most of the space. Headlines read 'Girl Magician Saves Realm'. The blonde snatched the paper out of her father's hand.

"No way!" she cried. "I'm…I'm famous!" She turned the page.

"Look! It's Hufanse and Faiya!" Celton pointed out, peering over Cy's head. "_The King and Queen to be!_ Wow, amazing! Where am I in all of this?" Cy turned a few pages.

"Here you are!" she said. She pointed to a group picture where she, Hufanse, Aundren, Celton, Svrion, and Faiya stood posing for the camera. "And look, here's Clarrisa and Aundren!"

"What?" Clarrisa cried, dropping her spoon with a clang as she snatched the paper. Sure enough, she found her picture amongst four at the bottom. Clarrisa remembered that picture. It was by Randren's insistence. Next to it was a picture of Cy and Svrion, Celton and Renalyn, followed by Hufanse and Faiya. Four Happy Couples.

"Come on, you three!" Mysti interrupted. "You all are going to be late to school! Finish your breakfast and get out of here!"

………

There was a definite change of atmosphere in Cy's school. When the young blonde entered the room, everyone clapped and cheered. Cy skipped down the aisle, drinking in the attention. She stopped by Svrion's desk and dropped him a quick kiss on his lips, earning whistles from the rest of the class. Then she sat down, crossed her legs, and smiled at the rest of the room.

_Dear mental diary…it's over, it's over. And now look at this! I'm famous, and I have a hot boyfriend. Now if I can just keep my head a normal size, everything will be fine!_

"Good morning class!" Dark Sage Morlen greeted, entering the room. He gave a special grin to Cy. "I'm sure everyone's read the papers this morning…" Everyone turned to Cy and cheered once again. She smiled.

"I didn't do it alone you know," she said. "I had all my friends help me! And it was pretty fun."

"Minus the part where I got thrown against the wall," Svrion added. "That hurt."

"And I'm sure Celton didn't enjoy his torture with the Dragons," Cy said, her smile dropping a little. "He told me about it last night."

"Well…it's all over now," Dark Sage said. "Now we can actually begin lessons… you two didn't miss a thing, trust me. Both of you managed to acquire a lot more power than will probably be learned in the first year. I'm very proud." Cy beamed.

"In fact…you two have skills that are…rather strange…and I'm sure your brains are confused because you've learned them all out of order. Therefore, every Saturday, you two will have special private lessons…by me…to help." Cy and Svrion nodded and the rest of the class murmured about the honor of having such lessons. "Now let us begin…I will quickly check the seating chart to make sure everyone's here."

"Juoro's missing," one student pointed out. He motioned to the empty desk and everyone but Cy and Svrion looked at it.

"Ah, yes, Juoro," Dark Sage explained. "Well, apparently I have to clear up some things. Juoro, before the spell was broken, was actually a spy for the Dark Kingdom."

"That's not possible," another student piped up. "He was saying that he hated the Dark Kingdom and all of the evil warriors should be captured."

"It was only to keep us from thinking he was a spy," Cy informed, having heard this conversation between Morlen and Neo yesterday. "If we believed he hated the Dark Kingdom warriors so much, what are the chances we would suspect him of spying for them?"

"That makes sense," the first student said. "But the curse is lifted, so where is he now?"

"He is Randren's new assistant. It seems he has loved Dragons from early childhood and would love to get to know one. I do not think he was meant to be a Dark Magician at all."

"Juoro, a Dragon Master Knight," the second student said. "Interesting…" Dark Sage smiled.

"Shall we continue with our lesson?"

………

"I now pronounce you man and wife!" The entire Realm seemed to explode with the cheers of all the residents. Confetti rained upon the large crowd as they clapped and whistled. It was two months after the entire adventure, and it was Faiya's bride-day. The newly wed queen blushed as she walked down the white marble steps of the palace; her long and elegantly decorated gown flowed out in all directions. Hufanse followed, looking ridiculous in a tuxedo. He gave a grin to Aundren, Clarrisa, Cy, Svrion, Celton, and Renalyn as they stood at the sides, waving.

"Congratulations!" Dark Sage bellowed as he raised his staff and cast fireworks into the sky.

"Thank you!" Faiya gushed as she threw her arms around him. Hufanse walked up to the others.

"Congratulations," Aundren said, then added with a smirk, "your Highness…"

"Very funny, Aundren. You look good with that tie!" It was Aundren's turned to frown, but Clarrisa quickly cut it.

"I know! Doesn't he look so handsome?" Cy and Svrion giggled. Aundren was usually a very calm, patient, and polite man. But when Clarrisa forced him into a tuxedo and _bright pink_ tie, he pretty much went nuts. But it did turn out for the better, because Clarrisa's dress was the same shade of pink and seemed to be even frillier than the bride's apparel. Her hair was done up and fixed with pretty lace bows. She looked very pretty, in contrast to Cy. The young teenager refused to don the lacy gown her mother had for her. But in the end, it was forced on her anyway. It was a really light pink, with sequins and embroidery everywhere. Cy complained that it was too long and she tripped…a lot! Svrion, however, was looking quite fine in his suit. Cy remembered the Witty Phantom clothes and giggled. All Svrion needed was a hat. Renalyn and Celton were pretty much Clarrisa and Aundren's twin – minus the tie, to Celton's relief.

Faiya came over to them and hugged each one in turn. "Thank you all so much! Without you, I'd still be in some underground organization plotting against my own parents."

"Instead you're getting married to a crazy guy," Svrion teased. "I don't see how that's much better!" Hufanse grinned.

"Well, I'm glad I don't have a klutzy blonde for a girlfriend!" he retorted.

"Let's not forget, however," Aundren pointed out. "You did have a crush on her!" Hufanse shut up and muttered about Clarrisa being 'equally blonde'.

"Oh, no," Svrion said. "I actually think I'm quite happy with Cy. She's a hero."

"Well, Faiya's a queen. And I'm a king!"

"You don't look like one, and Ra's granted us a miracle if you act like one!"

"Hey!" Everyone but Hufanse chuckled, and he eventually gave in and laughed along when Faiya wrapped her arms around his waist. Or rather, Queen Faiya.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Celton asked when everyone had calmed down. "The dances are starting! Let's go down and partay!"

"Hm…you actually made a good decision," Renalyn said. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go!"

"Ladies first!" Hufanse declared, taking Faiya's hand and letting her walk in front.

"That would be you, right?" she joked. He gave a stern look, but her serene one made him melt instantly. She pulled him down by his collar and gave him a passionate kiss. When he pulled back, she grinned.

"Let's see if you can dance…"

"Let's see if you can keep up…" The two made their way down to the middle of the Kingdom. Aundren extended his hand and Clarrisa wrapped her arms around it.

"I fear that I may not be quite the dancer you might expect."

"Oh don't worry, I'll show you how to get it on!"

"Get what on?"

"Oh, forget it!"

"I apologize, did I miss something?" Clarrisa dragged the confused Aundren and followed the others. Soon, Dark Sage – mysteriously quiet for the past few minutes – Cy and Svrion were the only ones left.

"Well," Morlen said, turning to the two. "It seems you have answered the question I asked you the very first day of school, Cyrrielle."

"About Svrion? Yeah, did I get it right?"

"An A plus for excellent work." He winked and joined the rest of the residents. Cy looked up at Svrion. He grinned at her.

"We still have to finish what we started…remember, back at the castle…you stopped in the middle when the sword started glowing red," he said.

"Oh right…or else it won't truly being a happily ever after ending for you, will it?"

"Nope…" Cy sighed, and Svrion leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in the moment. After all, she had him, the respect of her father, the most worthy of friends – two of who were now royalty, and a class that saw who she truly was. She had risen to the top.

**_THE END!_**

……………………………………………………………………………………………

At last, the day has come! This story is finally finished, after totally straying from the original plot and ending. Faiya was originally supposed to be some insignificant character that just leads them to the Dragon Chamber, but no…I made her into something much bigger. I'm sure Hufanse is happy about that.

Hufanse: (nods and grins)

Well…that's it. Things happen. It's called inspiration. Anyway, thank you to all who read and reviewed till the very end. I know that's like a small number since my updating was often delayed…(understatement). But thank you all, it's to you I owe the success of completing this story.

(Cy, Svrion, Celton, Renalyn, Clarrisa, Aundren, Hufanse, Faiya, Randren, Harsh, Juoro, Equora, Mysti, Neo, Morlen, Cosmo Queen – whose real name is Lithia – Jinzo, Sinth, Mitirk, Erkth, random residents, and the Dragons all take a bow)

And of course, I couldn't have done it without my characters either! (Blows kisses to all of them)

So thank you everybody! These characters might appear in random spots in future stories (especially Cy, Svrion, Aundren, and Hufanse, they are my favorite foursome). And until I write in the Yu-Gi-Oh! category again, farewell. Please review this final chapter! Thank you all, once again!


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